Luke has always had his finger on the pulse of country music.
You can have your qualms about the entirety of Luke Combs‘ musical output over the past decade; however, you simply cannot deny that he has been nothing but a net positive in country music since his debut in 2017. Even if you ignore all the chart and sales success, which features him being the third-highest-selling country artist behind Morgan Wallen and Garth Brooks, having the 1oth-most #1 hits on country radio since 1990 and consistently selling out stadiums across the country, he’s also been a force for positive change as well.
If you’ve been keeping a close eye on his career, you’re well aware at this point that Combs has been ahead of the curve when it comes to bringing out the best that the independent/alt country scene has to offer. From selecting Zach Bryan to open shows on his 2022 stadium tour to having the likes of Colby Acuff and 49 Winchester open throughout his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour and most recently, joining Charles Wesley Godwin on his new track, “Better That Way,” the “Beer Never Broke My Heart” singer has always selected some of the buzziest indie artists to join him on his massive stadium tours over the past few years.
Because of this and the massive success he’s been experiencing at the moment on his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour, I thought it was the perfect time to look back on some moments that proved that Combs had his finger on the pulse of country music and showed that he just gets it.
1. Enlisting Zach Bryan On His 2022 Tour
As we sit in 2026, it’s pretty safe to say that Combs, Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen are the “big three” in country music. Of course, Ella Langley is dominating everyone in the genre right now as arguably the biggest artist in all of music. It remains to be seen how sustainable Ella’s meteoric rise will be, but by this time next year, we could very well have a “big four” in the genre. But back in 2022, however, this was simply not the case. Though Bryan was undoubtedly hot at the time, already breaking out with DeAnn and just releasing his mammoth major label debut album, American Heartbreak, he was nowhere near the superstar he is today.
Combs, being the savvy artist he is, grabbed the “Something in the Orange” singer early, allowing him to perform at stadiums, Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Lumen Field in Seattle and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in particular, before he’d end up selling them out himself (and making American history) a few years later.
It’s not the most incredible pull, given that Bryan was already pretty buzzy, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another artist grabbing the “I Remember Everything” singer that early.
2. Forming A Unique Relationship With 49 Winchester
Though there’s plenty of competition out there today, there’s no denying that 49 Winchester has emerged as one of the most talented bands in the alternative country/southern rock scene. Lately, especially with their partnership with Lucille Records (of MCA Records), the release of their brand new album, Changes of Plans and their first-ever nomination at the ACM Awards for Group of the Year, they’ve gotten some more mainstream attention.
Combs, however, was on the 49 Winchester wave all the way back in 2022, famously rocking their t-shirt during a Rolling Stone photoshoot before enlisting them as openers on his 2023 world tour across the pond. Hilariously, frontman Isaac Gibson was first tipped off to the fact that Combs was a fan of their music when the band received an order from him, which he told us recently on the Whiskey Riff Raff Podcast.
3. Selecting Flatland Cavalry, Colby Acuff & Wyatt Flores As Openers
Combs’ stellar track record with openers doesn’t just end with Bryan and 49 Winchester. Throughout the years, he’s also snagged some of the more slept-on artists that haven’t quite hit the highs of the “Oklahoma Smokeshow” singer. Though Flatland Cavalry and Wyatt Flores have been receiving more attention, with Flatland snagging three-straight ACM nominations for Group of the Year and Flores continuing to rise in the Red Dirt scene, pulling Acuff back in 2024 on the Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour was an incredible pull.
For all intents and purposes, Acuff has remained one of the most slept-on artists and songwriters in the genre today, and the selection from Combs further proves how in-tune he has been with his opener choices.
4. Teaming Up With Charles Wesley Godwin, The Wilder Blue & Charlie Worsham
Unlike most artists on this list, Godwin and Combs go way back. So far back, in fact, that Godwin opened up for the “Hurricane” singer all the way back in 2016 at a bar called Schmitt’s Saloon in CWG’s hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia. Years later, he’d open up for Combs once again on his aforementioned Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old stadium tour back in 2024.
Obviously, the big event between the two came earlier in the month when they teamed up for “Better That Way,” which is not only a killer song itself but also allowed the West Virginian to chart his first-ever song on a Billboard chart, scoring a debut at #60 on their Country Airplay chart this week. Godwin has remained one of the best artists working today, and it’s been incredible to see Combs boost a long-time collaborator and help him score a major career accomplishment.
In 2023, after confessing to be a longtime fan of the band, he teamed up with The Wilder Blue on a cover of Steve Young’s “Seven Bridges Road” for their Super Natural album. And then finally, he teamed up with the super talented Charlie Worsham for “That’s How I Learned To Pray” in 2023 as well. Everyone working in country music knows and loves Charlie Worsham. He’s highly respected, incredibly talented, and just an all-around fantastic ambassador of country music. He’s written songs, played on records and joined touring bands during his career, however his solo work hasn’t quite garnered the attention it deserves.
5. TikTok, Comments & More
This one’s a bit all-encompassing, but if you’re tapped into the underground scene within country music, on TikTok in particular, you’ll see Combs commenting on and supporting a plethora of different artists. Notably, he was found in the comment section of rising star, Kenny Whitmire, when he was having a viral moment with his breakout hit, “I Gave Her The Moon.”
In fact, Combs has talked at-length about this recently on the Zach Sang Show, saying he does this to encourage younger artists and boost their confidence:
“Sometimes I’ll get stuff come across and it’s got 2, 300 likes on it, and I’ll fire a comment on it and I’m like, ‘Hey man, you’re unbelievably talented, you need to hear this.’ Not that my opinion really matters. I do it as a fan, but also I can’t imagine if 10 years ago, if Eric Church would have commented on my video and said, ‘Hey man, you’re super good.’
The confidence that would bring you or could bring a kid – is that the difference between them going, ‘Well should I give up or not?’ Even if it gets them another week of keeping going. In some ways it feels like a superpower, to be able to just go in and say, ‘Hey man, I’ve done what you did and I’ve made it to where I made it to, and just keep going.’”
Additionally, you can find him commenting on other stellar bands in the alternative country/southern rock scene like Cigarettes @ Sunset, recently hyping up their new release, “Appalachian Raised,” which comes out this Friday.
@gary1999_ App raised this Friday and I’m freaking out y’all #appalachia #lukecombs #countrymusic #boonenc ♬ Appalachian Raised – Cigarettes @ Sunset
Luke Combs Tour Dates
May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC
June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON
June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON
July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden
July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France
July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands
July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland
July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland
July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK
July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK
August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UK
