Luke Combs is one of the biggest acts in Country music following his appearance at the Super Bowl performing the national anthem and he’s only gotten bigger ever since. Country has started to gain a lot of traction in the UK and it makes sense that a genre that is built on working class struggle and longing would become so popular here. His most recent arena tour showcases his talents as a brilliant musician and a relatable figure. Joining him were The Songwriters and 49 Winchester.
The Songwriters round was made up of Ray Fulcher, Drew Parker and James McNair. The three are well established songwriters in Nashville and have even written songs for Luke Combs himself.
The three took turns playing songs about themselves or songs that have been important in their lives and it helped paint a vivid picture about who they were and their values. Having three separate voices on stage and still having a solid idea of who they are in such a small amount of time is an impressive feat which speaks to the strength of their songwriting abilities. The three will undoubtedly have found new fans today.
49 Winchester started out strong with ZZ Top style blues/boogie/country twang. There were a few tracks like ‘Chemistry’ and ‘Long Hard Life’ that had a great deal of energy and swagger to them but they were in between slower, more downbeat tracks which made the pacing of the show a bit odd.
All of the tracks were really enjoyable and the instrumentalists were really skilled so it likely is just the organisation of the setlist that alienated the audience a bit. 49 Winchester are a solid band but they had an uphill battle trying to get the audience in a raucous mood after an introspective songwriter’s round. They’re a worthwhile band to see as a headliner but this might not have been the best representation.
The lights went down and everyone rose for what felt like the national anthem ‘Sweet Caroline,’ a cheat code for getting the crowd riled and ready for the show. ‘Sweet Caroline’ was immediately followed by ‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC which played while Luke Combs and his band took their places on the stage and started the twangy ‘Lovin’ On You’.
Luke’s stage presence is fairly laid back, he doesn’t have many rockstar moves and just casually walks around the stage as if he’s taking it all in and thinking “yeah, this is pretty good”. He’d often comment that “if I wasn’t here I’d be somewhere else trying to make it where I am now” and that really speaks to how important music is to him as he’d tell stories about learning to write songs and play the guitar from humble beginnings. Relatability is an important part of the country scene and Luke really puts in the effort to seem down to earth despite headlining stadiums in America.
It’s a common misconception that country music is all acoustic guitars and slow ballads because Luke’s set was filled with rowdy hard rock tracks like the highway anthem ‘Hannah Ford Road’ and ‘Doin’ This’ – the gigantic scream-along anthem of his love for music. There’s a great deal of variety in his back catalogue and the carefully curated setlist demonstrates that very well.
There was a section of the show where Luke took a backseat and introduced the members of his band and let them perform songs that have inspired them over the years. They performed ‘Dust On The Bottle,’ ‘Meet In The Middle’ and ‘When I Was Your Man’. I don’t come from a country background and admittedly don’t have a great deal of knowledge of the songs they played but that’s the beauty of covers, they introduce people to new music. The whole band was so tight that it’s possible they were better than the originals.
Luke’s most recent biggest hit is a cover of Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car,’ a legendary and storied folk song that has had hundreds of interpretations since its release in 1988. The nature of the song will obviously change based on who is singing the song and Luke’s version stems from his love of music and the wealth of music he connected with; with the help of his father who he claims listens to everything and that’s an amazing reason to perform the song, the fact that it’s introducing new generations to the song is a bonus.
Luke’s set features a few songs about the connective liquid that connects all of us from the streets of Nashville all the way to Manchester, beer. ‘Beer Never Broke My Heart’ and ‘1,2 Many’ are fun and energetic tracks that deal with the love of partying. Luke even shared a beer with someone in the audience which was wholesome. England has a drinking culture in the first place so this is a reminder to listen to country music responsibly.
Luke ended the set with ‘The Kind of Love We Make,’ a guitar-driven rock track that deals with stripping back the complications of loving someone and just letting the situation speak for itself. It’s a phenomenal closer that still has that arena show closing vibe but also has a last-orders-at-the-bar vibe that leaves you reflecting on the night.
Country music is growing in popularity in the UK as it’s an accessible genre that focuses on telling stories and feeling authentic, whether it accomplishes that or not is a different conversation. Luke Combs feels like the genuine article and hopefully, he continues his successful career and returns to the UK sometime soon. He’ll surely be welcomed back to have a beer in Manchester any time.
