The last time country singer Luke Combs played a full concert in the Los Angeles area he sold out the Greek Theatre for a pair of shows in 2019. He’s, um, gained a few fans since then, it’s fair to say. On Friday, Combs returned to Southern California for the first of two nights at SoFi Stadium on his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour, playing 26 songs over an hour and 45 minutes to the delight of fans who seldom stopped singing along with Combs’s well-drafted celebrations of ordinary people living regular lives.
Combs is an unlikely superstar in many ways. When he walked on stage Friday, he looked like he might have just come from a cookout, a kid’s birthday party, or his own backyard. He wore a short-sleeved blue shirt, tan pants, and in a nod to the field on which he sang, a Los Angeles Chargers ballcap.
No frills, nothing fancy. Then he started singing, opening the show with “Must’ve Never Met You” and “She Got the Best of Me,” a pair of hymns to heartbreak, and it’s quickly clear how strong the connections are between this bearded, burly 34-year-old North Carolinian and the tens of thousands of Southern California country fans of all ages who showed up to hear him here. Country music artist Luke Combs performs at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Friday night June 14, 2024 during the first of his two sold out shows during his Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour.
(Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Country music artist Luke Combs per.