By So'omalo Iteni Schwalger*
Country singer Luke Combs at Auckland's Eden Park. Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga
Review - It should be stated that I am not always the biggest fan of modern country music. I touched on this briefly in my review of Zach Bryan's The Great American Bar Scene for Tony Stamp's The Sampler. The short of it is: It's not that I dislike modern country, rather I have an affinity for country music of the past. I like my cowboys sad. Going into the concert I was relatively familiar with Luke's catalogue, and there's a handful of singles that make appearances in my playlists, but I wouldn't have called myself a fan per se.
Wouldn't have... I get it now, for I was blind, now I see. Luke Combs is that guy.
It's the first night of two shows Luke Combs has in Tāmaki Makaurau, and it's at the largest venue Aotearoa has to offer, Eden Park. Country music has seen a massive rise here in Aotearoa over the last few years and this is arguably the biggest country music event this nation has ever seen, and the closure of the city's rail network wasn't stopping Luke Combs fans. The show is undeniably packed, but not quite sold out, with the seated stands having some noticeable gaps. However, the crowd on the ground is packed out, just shoulder to shoulder and it honestly looks like a great buzz from where my fiancé and I are seated.
Moments before Luke hits the stage, some literal genius (I mean this with all sincerity, it was a great move) spins Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline', and the crowd is on, they are primed and ready to go. Soon as it comes to a close, fans are treated to a relatively cinematic trailer welcoming him to the stage before he bursts into our first song of the night. If you were wondering if he wore some All Blacks merch, yes, of course he did, and like every other time a celebrity wears our national team's merch, it sticks the landing scoring a thunderous response of celebration from the crowd.
We rip into the music and it's on. The crowd is up out of their seats and hanging onto every lyric Luke belts. His vocal skills are on full display and he's really engaging to listen to. I mean I knew he was good but I would argue hearing him live is the only way to fully appreciate just how talented he is.
After performing 'One Number Away' Luke takes a moment to talk about his life and career, but more significantly, his great adoration for his wife. He explains the story behind 'Houston We Got A Problem', a song he wrote while away from his wife on tour in Texas earlier in his career. He goes on to illustrate how regardless of how gorgeous Texas was, and says regardless of how big of a moment in his career it was, it was nothing without his wife. We get a lot of these genuine insights into the music throughout the night and it never feels a chore.
Luke Combs plumbed the depths of his vast catalogue. Photo: Photosport / Andrew Cornaga
I've also got to make special mention of the band backing him up. These guys are friends and that camaraderie they share creates some stellar sounds. They get a great moment of celebration from Luke as he walks around introducing them before they smash out a medley of covers of Shania Twain, Train and Dierks Bentley.
Now Luke has a vast catalogue, featuring a variety of tempos and emotions, it is indubitably diverse. Artists in this position can have an incredibly difficult time nailing a setlist that ebbs and flows, not our boy Luke though. Unlike traffic in Auckland, we never came to a screeching halt. The set list struck an impressive balance. The show shifted between upbeat and slow dancing so eloquently, multiple times throughout the evening. From the highs of 'Where the Wild Things Are' to the lows of 'Love You Anyway', those moments feel earnt and in place.
Every time I thought to myself that the biggest moment of the night had came and went, another one swept through. Honestly it felt like the crowd was just constantly surprised that he was singing another song, it was great. That being said, I wholeheartedly believe the most substantial roar of the night came courtesy of Luke hitting a shoey out of a cowboy boot. I would argue most of it spilled out onto his shirt and the stage, but myself and seemingly the entire arena respected the move regardless.
Now it's not a concert without an encore, and the crowd here wasn't fooled. I don't think I saw a single fan shift an inch when those lights went down - they knew Luke had more to give, and boy did he give it. Some of his strongest performances of the night were in these final moments with his singles, 'Better Together', 'Ain't No Love in Oklahoma' and 'The Kind of Love We Make' to close things out.
Luke is a force of nature on stage, he just looks so comfortable up there. It's clear he loves this, and it's contagious. He commanded the crowd with such finesse. Often, I walk away from concerts just impressed with the performance, but this time I can genuinely say I also just had fun. It was a fun concert. Luke Combs is a star.
My only personal complaint is that playing a song titled 'Hurricane' in the home of the Auckland Blues felt like poor form, go the Blues.
* So'omalo Iteni Schwalger is a presenter for TAHI.
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