Luke Combs shows mass appeal with packed-out gig at Belfast SSE Arena | CPT PPP Coverage

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The American superstar took the SSE Arena by storm on Saturday night with a completely packed house.

Similar to a young Garth Brooks, the Carolina crooner has managed to whip a whole new generation into a Stetson-wearing frenzy, which was evident in Belfast at the weekend.

Crowds began gathering at the SSE Arena from before 5pm, where Combs’ music was already being blasted on outdoor speakers for waiting fans.

Doors didn’t open until 6.30pm and Combs himself didn’t appear onstage until around 9pm, but queues already adorned the Titanic Quarter from the late afternoon onwards.

Women wore denim shorts and cowgirl heels, while men donned brown boots and bootcut jeans, and there were plenty of young kids in tow too, with their miniature ten-gallon hats and bolo ties.

Combs opened his NI concert with the song ‘Lovin’ On You’ which is from his 2019 album.

He finished with an encore of his power ballad, ‘She Got the Best of Me’, which he explained that he recorded in Nashville back in 2014.

He also talked at length about arguably his most popular song here, ‘Beautiful Crazy’, and told the audience how much he missed his wife and two boys whilst he has been on the road for his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old tour.

His youngest son was only born in August of this year.

While the 33-year-old already has four studio albums, this has been his first time playing in Northern Ireland.

His ascension to fame here correlated with the release of his 2017 album, ‘This One’s for You’, which included popular tunes such as ‘When It Rains It Pours’; another hit that fans at the SSE Arena enjoyed belting out with him.

The showstopper of the night though was Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car.

Over 11,000 attendees sang in perfect unison alongside the smooth singer’s rendition of the 1988 folk-soul hit, which now has well over 100 million worldwide streams on the music app Spotify – and he only released his version in March.

When asking multiple people recently what their opinions of Luke Combs are, this reporter has discovered two things; people either know him and are utterly obsessed with him, or they’ve never heard of him until this weekend.

It’s true, he doesn’t seem to be your average modern music uber celeb.

With a bushy ginger beard and trademark caps that he wears almost everywhere, Combs could be mistaken on the street for being a stereotypical American truck driver.

But, that’s also all part of the singer-songwriter’s mass appeal.

His shows don’t have the glitz, glamour and high production sets that other chart-topping pop performers do; they instead focus solely on guitars and his vocals.

He is also a testament to the resurrection of American country music in Europe and further afield, with other US singers such as Morgan Wallen and Lauren Alaina hot on his heels.

Tickets for Combs’ sell-out show were so highly sought after, that Aiken Promotions, which accommodated the NI gig, issued a warning about bogus sellers and scams prior.

Saturday night may have been Luke Combs’ first time performing in Northern Ireland, but by the number of people wanting to see him and the buzz of the crowd before, during and after the gig, it definitely won’t be his last.