Luke Combs’ soft eyes transition into a face hardened with grit, the screen on stage displaying concert highlights. Audience members begin cheering for their favorite country singer just as Combs steps onto the stage, shotgunning a beer.
Growing up in North Carolina, Combs said he had never traveled by plane until he was 25 years old, visiting Houston. Returning to Texas, Combs created more firsts for himself. Austin City Limits Festival was his first back-to-back weekend festival, and he delivered a heart-warming performance Friday night on the American Express Stage.
Opening with “1, 2 Many,” Combs brought a uniquely casual atmosphere to the festival. He drew laughter from the audience with his relatable jokes about sweating in the Austin heat and belted lyrics in his show’s second song, and one of his most popular, “When It Rains It Pours.”
Despite his jokes about needing a sweat rag, Combs sported a polo, dark denim jeans, a camo hat and occasionally a red guitar engraved with lyrics “beer never broke my heart” and “Luke” embroidered onto the shoulder strap.
Throughout the show, Combs talked directly to fans, thanking them for their support and encouragement, and said he would still perform even if only one person desired it.
“My best buddies were writing songs with me that day, and we couldn’t come up with anything good we wanted to write about. We just kind of hung out, bullshited and drunk coffee,” Combs said when describing “Doin’ This.” “I came into this story in the middle of our conversation. People always ask me, ‘What would you do if you weren’t doing this?’ I mean, honestly, I would be doing this, but I just wouldn’t be at ACL. I would be on the sidewalk outside or a bar down the street.”
Adding onto his popular hits, Combs performed “She Got the Best of Me” and “Where the Wild Things Are.” He also played what he described as the trilogy of his love life and the story of his five-year marriage, including “Beautiful Crazy,” “Forever After All” and finishing his love songs with “Better Together.”
Combs has two sons with his wife, and his oldest was in the crowd watching his dad perform for the first time. Combs wrote “Days Like These” when his son was born, which he released last week, a track about magical days not even money can buy. In the crowd, many families stood together, parents tearing up and hugging their kids a little tighter.
After finishing the solo acoustic moment he implements at every concert, the band returned as Combs introduced them one by one, each performing part of a cover of their choice. The most notable included “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton and an energetic rendition of “Gimme Three Steps.”
Rounding up his set, Combs performed “Ordinary” for the second time ever and without co-performer Alex Warren for the first time. He followed with “Hurricane” and the song that matches the carving on his guitar, “Beer Never Broke My Heart.”
However, to fans’ shock and delight, Combs came out for an encore despite having gone overtime already. He finished his set with “Fast Car,” originally performed by Tracy Chapman, and his most rocking song, “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” perfectly fitting for the Red River Rivalry.
