LUKE COMBS – MARVEL STADIUM – MELBOURNE

Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos Valerie Lee.

We could not have scripted a more perfect evening to see Luke Combs at his sold out Marvel Stadium show in Melbourne on Saturday night. This was Combs last show in Australia after a very successful 2025 tour and as we made our way to Marvel, we witnessed droves of country music lovers wearing their cowboy hats, boots and country apparel heading to the gig.

Tonight the stadium roof was open as the weather was magnificent. There were 56,000-plus fans with many families and kids in attendance. We had a young family in front of us all decked out in Luke Combs tour tees and hats with the two boys only being around 5-7 years of age. Mum and Dad knew and sang along to every single song and their kids were loving it. There is a wholesomeness about attending a country music show as they generally project solid family values, with songs that touch the heart. No profanity, just pure, clean, hearty music.

Modern Country Music has become absolutely huge in Australia and this is Combs fifth visit down under. Combs has gained an incredible fan-base in this country and his fan club, the Bootleggers are rapidly increasing in numbers as he gains popularity.

Opening up tonight’s show was Australian country singer Lane Pittman. Pittman was born in Mt Isa, Queensland and spent most of his life growing up in the heart of Country music in the town of Tamworth, NSW, Australia. At 16-years of age, Pittman appeared on ‘The Voice’ in 2022 and sang a cover of Luke Combs ‘Even Though I’m Leaving.’ He was on Keith Urban’s team and built up an instant fanbase of Country music lovers. Pittman has gone from strength to strength supporting Luke Combs on his 2023 Australian Tour and now again in 2025. Pittman’s a natural performer and has great stage presence, energy and charm. Check out his songs GOING NOWHERE FAST, LET’S GET LOST and his latest song AMEN FOR THE WEEKEND.

American singer/songwriter Mitchell Tenpenny walked out on stage and delivered an almighty set of Southern-inspired country and pop rock with that Nashville sound. Their songs are about drinking beer and whisky, girls, heartbreak and life’s mistakes. Tenpenny is from Nashville, Tennessee and has a beautiful voice, warmth, infectious smile and stage presence that creates a beautiful connection with the crowd. His band are quite heavy with grungy guitars and strong driving drums, while their backing vocals harmonised wonderfully with Tenpenny. He played an 8-song set and did a wonderful cover of IRIS by The Goo Goo Dolls, which had the crowd singing along. Other crowd favourites were WE GOT HISTORY, TRUTH ABOUT YOU, DRUNK ME and BIGGER MISTAKES.

American singer/songwriter Jordan Davis was on next and is from Shreveport, Louisiana. Davis burst out on to the stage and made an instant impact with the crowd with his high level energy. Davis is best known for his song BUY DIRT, in which he collaborated with Luke Bryan and this was definitely the crowd favourite tonight. Davis and his band play a smooth and feel-good style of contemporary modern country rock and country pop. Davis and his band performed an 11-song set including I AIN’T SAYIN’, NEXT THING YOU KNOW, DAMN GOOD TIME and WHAT MY WORLD SPINS AROUND.

As the crowd waited in anticipation for Luke Combs to come on, Neil Diamond’s SWEET CAROLINE played over the PA which had 56,000 fans singing along in harmony, waving the their phones in the air creating a beautiful sea of lights throughout the stadium. It was a ‘you-had-to-be-there’ special moment.

American Singer/Songwriter Luke Combs was born and raised in North Carolina. Combs moved to Tennessee in 2012 at 22 years of age to pursue a career in country music. He released his debut EP, The Way She Rides in 2014 and a few more EP’s followed before releasing his debut album This One’s For You in 2017 which earned him numerous awards and several hit songs. Combs has gone on to become a hugely popular singer/songwriter and has a massive following, selling out shows throughout the world.

The crowd erupted when headliner Luke Combs and his 7-piece band appeared and launched into MUST’VE NEVER MET YOU from the deluxe reissue of This One’s For You Too (2017) album. Combs show consisted of 25 songs providing a very entertaining smorgasboard of his music with 9 songs from this 2017 album. SHE’S GOT THE BEST OF ME, HONKY TONK HIGHWAY, ONE NUMBER AWAY, THIS ONE’S FOR YOU, BEAUTIFUL CRAZY, WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS, the hit song HURRICANE and the Tracy Chapman cover FAST CAR.

Combs’ music has a Southern rock twang and his band are all talented and highly proficient musicians. They blend so well together creating a full, well-rounded sound. The clever instrumentation and harmony compliments Combs effortless and clear vocals. They deliver a wide variety of styles with their music, featuring strong driving beats, deep bluesy rhythms as well as gentle ballads. We noticed many of the band members are multi-instrumentalists playing a wide variety of instruments like the mandolin, violin, slide-guitar, banjo, drums, keyboards, box drum and guitar. Combs connected well with his band and gave them the opportunity of performing a short solo each. The keyboardist sang a cover of Train’s DROPS OF JUPITER and the guitarist sang WHOSE BED HAVE YOUR BOOTS BEEN UNDER? Combs cracked up the crowd when he did a ‘shoey’ with one of his road crew during the show.

They had 3 large screens set up so everyone could see the show. The stage backdrop featured pictures of landscapes, desert, driving cars and motorbikes, fishing, and of the band performing. There was a catwalk so Combs could walk out and get closer and connect with his fans. Combs candidly told stories in between songs of his rise to fame, how important his family is to him, how much he enjoys travelling the world and performing his music and meeting his fans.

During Combs cover of Ed Sheeran’s DIVE, there was a marriage proposal and the crowd went crazy and cheered. Combs knew something happened out in the crowd but had no idea what it was, but said many good things happen at his shows. Combs sang a cover of Brooks & Dunn’s BRAND NEW MAN and delivered a solo of his ballad THIS ONE’S FOR YOU,which was beautiful.

There were far too many songs to pick out a favourite but a song we really loved is REMEMBER HIM THAT WAY from his latest 2024 album Fathers and Sons. This song included mandolin and Combs powerful, raspy vocals shone in this song. He has a certain raw, genuine manner in the way he sings. This is an outstanding heartfelt album and the songwriting and lyrics are incredible and remind me so much of my own father Douglas Eriksson who sadly passed away at 57 years young of cancer.

In the encore, Combs performed a song just with his keyboardist called BETTER TOGETHER. The rest of the band joined them to sing AIN’T NO LOVE IN OKLAHOMA from the Twisters film soundtrack. The show concluded with THE KIND OF LOVE WE MAKE. which was a fitting end to the evening.

We are still on a high from the show and were completely won over by Luke Combs and his incredible band along with the wonderful support acts. It was a night to remember with its feel-good vibe and makes you realise that country music is not just a genre but a ‘way of being’.

SET LIST:

Must’ve Never Met You
She Got The Best Of Me
Lovin’ On You
Honky Tonk Highway
Brand New Man (Brooks & Dunn cover)
One Number Away
Houston, We Got A Problem
Remember Him That Way
This One’s For You

Going, Going, Gone
Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? / Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) / What Was I Thinkin’
Where The Wild Things Are
Dive (Ed Sheeran cover)
Love You Anyway
Forever After All
Beautiful Crazy
Fast Car (Tracy Chapman cover)
Hurricane
Cold As You
When It Rains It Pours
1,2 Many
Beer Never Broke My Heart