You know, I feel like this happens more often that it should…
One of the best signs that a country artist has finally made it is when the impersonators start popping up. There are plenty of guys and gals out there who make good money by impersonating other artists, and some of them have even been endorsed by the artist themselves. Heck, Lainey Wilson got her start in music as a Hannah Montana impersonator, although now there are Lainey Wilson impersonators out there too.
Unfortunately though, unless you read the fine print, fans may not realize that the concert they’re buying tickets to is actually not the real thing.
A couple years ago, a hilarious video went viral when a husband bought tickets to see Reba – only to get there and realize that it was an impersonator.
@chanelle.irl Im not even sure that the old folks around us knew that it was NOT Reba. #reba #funnyashell #deadasf #couldntholdmylaughin #fail #christmas #merrychristmas
And sure, there are usually signs that you’re buying tickets to a tribute concert and not the real artist: First of all, if they’re playing in a venue that’s much too small for the real artist to be playing, there’s a pretty good chance it’s an impersonator. And if tickets are much cheaper than you would expect…well, I’d probably double check before buying them.
But unfortunately for English actress Catherine Tyldesley, she got caught up in the excitement of getting to see Luke Combs and didn’t realize the tickets she bought weren’t for the real thing.
As Tyldesley explained in an Instagram post back in February, she was trying to find a Christmas present for her husband Tom, so she tried Googling his favorite country artist and noticed that he was coming to Manchester, UK:
“As part of Tom’s Christmas present, I was struggling with what to get him this year, but I knew that he liked Luke Combs, country singer, and I got some tickets, didn’t I? I got some tickets!
I was like, ‘No way is he coming back!’ Typed in Luke Combs, Manchester tour dates 2026, comes up Bridgewater Hall, and I was like, ‘No way is he coming to Manchester!’ Then I got the tickets, and the tickets were like, I don’t know, 30-odd quid each, and I was like, ‘What?! This is insane!'”
Now, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester has a capacity of around 2,300 people, and 30 quid is equal to about $40, so like I said…there may have been signs that it wasn’t the real thing. But she didn’t realize it at first, and began bragging about getting tickets to see one of the biggest country artists in the world:
“Went into work, flexing, I was like, ‘Oh my god, I got Luke Combs tickets!’ People were like, ‘Oh,we couldn’t get them!’ And I was like, ‘I’ve got them, mic drop!'”
Well the couple make plans and head to the concert when they realize it’s…not as crowded as they expected. And then who they thought was the opening act comes on and starts singing Luke Combs songs.
The couple explains that they assumed Luke Combs would be upset that the opener was singing his songs when they realize…this guy might be the “Luke Combs” that was advertised.
Finally, after “Luke Combs” starts speaking in an Irish accent, the couple does a quick Google search and realizes that they bought tickets to a tribute show:
“Oh, I mean, we’ve done some stupid things in our lifetime. This might be up there.”
Classic mixup.
Well their story happened to catch the attention of a guy named John with a company called Sports Entertainment Tours, who offered the couple tickets to see (the real) Luke Combs this summer during his stop at Slane Castle in Ireland as part of his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour. And not only did they get to actually see Luke this time, he rolled out the red carpet for them.
As it turns out, Luke had heard about their mix-up, and took time to meet with the couple before his show. The couple also had backstage passes, which no doubt makes up for the mistaken tribute concert they sat through to get there.
But let this be a lesson to everyone trying to buy tickets to see their favorite artist: If it seems too good to be true, you might want to double check because you might end up seeing a beardless “Luke Combs” with an Irish accent in a half-empty theater.
