Luke Combs turns Grant Park into impassioned singalong: Lollapalooza review

Following a burst of pyrotechnic sparks and impassioned screams from thousands of fans, Luke Combs sauntered onto the Bud Light stage Thursday night, making festival history as Lollapalooza’s first country headliner.

Combs roared into his 2019 hit “1, 2 Many,” a beer-soaked ode to overindulging in “ice cold beer and a country song.” He raised a red Solo cup as fans jumped and sang along. And since the song’s bridge calls for shotgunning a beer, Combs grabbed a keyed-open Miller Lite from a stagehand and took a gulp before tossing the rest into the crowd as beer dripped into his bushy beard.

He was backed by a six-piece band who brought his Grammy Award-winning recordings to life via pedal steel, upright piano, drums, banjo and plenty of guitars. Behind them, neon lights twinkled and the flag of his home state of North Carolina hung in an animated tavern on screen, creating the illusion of a small town honky-tonk — despite the swelling crowd packed in at Grant Park.

That set the tone for what would be an hour-and-a-half journey into Combs’ true-blue country catalog, a passionate, by-the-numbers set with little frills delivered by the songwriter dressed in a black short-sleeve Columbia button-down, khaki jeans, cowboy boots and Grand Ole Opry trucker cap. Singing his heart out, Combs appeared happily determined to give his fans the best show possible.

For his second song, Combs wielded a black Gibson acoustic that had his name etched in the neck, leading the crowd into an impassioned singalong of “When It Rains It Pours,” from his 2017 debut album, “This One’s for You,” which helped skyrocket him to country music stardom.

The modern country landscape is full of male artists positioning themselves as “bad boys” flirting with pop and hip-hop inclinations to stay on the charts and algorithms. But Combs, 35, has spent the last decade carving out his place with earnest, heart-on-your-sleeve-type songs, never reinventing the wheel or straying from the classic Nashville sound. And he’s garnered plenty of accolades and fans along the way.

It’s a sound that has placed him in the same arena with the likes of fellow emotional hitmakers Brooks & Dunn, whom Combs paid homage to Thursday with his cover of the duo’s 1991 love anthem “Brand New Man,” a song that fit seamlessly into his setlist, prompting another singalong from the crowd.

While Combs carried on at the top of Grant Park, hip-hop provocateur Tyler, The Creator delivered a blazing headlining set at the south end — a clear segmenting of Lollapalooza’s Thursday lineup, leaving no room for casual fans.

That much was clear as Combs stormed into his fourth song of the night, “Cold as You.” The massive crowd in attendance was full of die-hard fans ready to sing Combs’ catalog back to him, giving the night a country karaoke flavor.

Combs made his Lollapalooza debut in 2018 with an afternoon set on the modest-sized Petrillo Music Shell (known as the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage at festival time), as his star was rising. On Thursday night, Combs looked from his headliner’s perch and reflected on his view back then.

“I remember looking over here and thinking, ‘Man, no way’ — s — here we are, baby!” he said as the crowd cheered him on. “I never would have imagined my life would have turned out this way.”

From there, Combs slowed down the pace with “Doin’ This,” a sober meditation on his drive to make music. He introduced the song by telling the crowd that, if his career never took off, he’d still be singing these songs tonight at some local bar. It was one of the many songs on Thursday that showcased his voice, a strong, road-worn baritone that he at times appeared to push to its limit, growing slightly raspy toward the tail end of his set, but hardly missing a note.

“Doin’ This” was part of a long string of slow, midtempo, downright mushy ballads of mostly love songs. In between them, Combs referenced “some grief” he’d caught wind of in response to his penchant for love songs, shaking it off with a smile and referencing his fifth wedding anniversary on Friday and the joys of parenthood before sliding into yet another devoted ballad.

An hour-and-a-half-long set featuring mostly slower songs might feel taxing to a casual festivalgoer, but those were just about impossible to spot among the smattering of fans singing every word — many pounding their chests and closing their eyes as they strained their voices, others swaying or slow dancing with another.

“This is the best set ever!” one fan could be heard exclaiming, “Aw, this song reminds me of home,” another said before singing along to 2022’s “Going, Going, Gone.”

Combs’ set featured a surprise appearance from 24-year-old singer Alex Warren, who had just wrapped his own Tito’s stage debut. Phones filmed and voices lifted as the pair performed Warren’s current chart-topping hit, “Ordinary.” Warren stuck around for Combs’ “She Got the Best of Me,” occasionally singing and appearing dumbstruck by the sheer size and energy from Combs’ crowd.

As a half moon rose among the hazy skyline, Combs neared Lollapalooza’s hard 10 p.m. stop as he reached another early career hit, “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” leaving the stage briefly to work in a quick encore.

He reemerged with his guitar while wearing late Cubs great Ryne Sandberg’s jersey, leading the crowd in one final, impassioned singalong — his chart-topping cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”

Having gone past curfew, Combs had to end things abruptly, but not before turning to show Sandberg’s name on his jersey and being sent off with cheers from his adoring fans.

Luke Combs Lollapalooza 2025 set list

1, 2 Many
When It Rains It Pours
Brand New Man, Brooks & Dunn cover
Cold as You
Doin’ This
Houston, We Got a Problem
Going, Going, Gone
Where the Wild Things Are
One Number Away
Better Together
Forever After All
Beautiful Crazy

Band introductions, featuring a covers medley:

• Someone You Loved (Conor Maynard)
• A Thousand Miles (Vanessa Carlton)
• Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes)
• Sultans Of Swing (Dire Straits)
• Gimme Three Steps (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Ordinary (Alex Warren song performed with Alex Warren)
She Got the Best of Me (Performed with Alex Warren)
Lovin’ on You
Hurricane
The Kind of Love We Make
Beer Never Broke My Heart

Encore
Fast Car (Tracy Chapman cover)