Houston we have a problem, as Luke Combs would say, is what I thought when I stepped into the AB last Wednesday, and it felt like I was in the US for a moment. It was the first time for me to see a huge screen hanging on the stage and the cameras around the venue to provide a constant flow of images to not miss any detail from every corner of the venue, all very American style, with even some people wearing cowboy hats. And Luke Combs as a showman didn’t disappoint. Although he was playing at the second smallest venue of this tour, after realising his most recent album Gettin' Old, that is allowing him to tour around the world, the intimate setting did him good on Wednesday when he immediately got the crowd engaged even before the concert started, with Sweet Caroline that was playing out loud at an AB that turned black, only being lighted by the crowd’s flashlights. Following that sing along moment, Thunderstruck started playing together with a small light show that allowed the band to come on stage and scatter around to start playing one of the crowd pleasers "Lovin’ on you". The intimate setting and the location didn’t prevent him from even throwing a can of beer during "1, 2 many", always switching from a constant come and go on stage to make sure to reach every corner of the room, while also playing standing his guitar. I was surprised when I had a sneak peak on to the setlist and saw that every pause to talk was specifically placed and length determined. One of the highlights of the night was when he performed Tracy Chapman's cover of “Fast Car”, while everyone at AB was singing along, creating a very magic moment. There was also time for the eight band members to show their talent separately, playing and singing a bunch of covers, like Bruno Mars song "When I was your man", and also for an encore at the end, first starting with the piano ballad Better together, with only him and the piano player on stage, and ending with The Kind of Love We Make, with the full band back next to him, making it a very solid ending.
The audience did, nevertheless, already enjoy some good country music at the beginning of the night by the hand of songwriters Ray Fulcher, Drew Parker and James McNair, who were sitting each on a high chair to take turns performing songs they co-wrote. There were moments of trying to engage the crowd when looking for college dropouts, before singing songs about never have been graduated except for a degree in partying. The end of their performance included songs they helped Combs co-write and that they were sure were not scheduled on the show, with the initial crowd already gathered there, claiming their spot, singing along. Following the three gentlemen came 49 Winchester, who were the best warmup for what was coming next with Combs. Taking advantage of the big display, the band didn’t disappoint the audience.
Luke Combs
49 Winchester
Songwriters
Woensdag 11 oktober 2023, Ancienne Belgique (Brussel, BE) | Foto's & tekst: Cristina Vergara