Luke Combs, Wembley review: as personal as a Texas honky-tonk
Luke Combs, Wembley review and star rating: ★★★★★
If you noticed an inordinate number of Stetsons, cowboys, and cowgirls heading to Wembley Stadium this weekend, it was for good reason. Luke Combs, one of Country music’s biggest artists, was in town.
Country, the quintessential American genre, may feel like an odd match for the Home of English Football but it’s been having a moment in the UK for a while.
The United Kingdom Country Music Association reports that Country consumption is growing here faster than anywhere in the world, with streams exceeding 1billion in Q3 2025 for only the third time in history.
Country music certainly feels more present than ever before. Away from stadiums, shows like Yellowstone, Dutton Ranch, & Landman are bringing Country soundtracks to our TVs, and bars like Lil’ Nashville in London’s Chiswick are providing weekly opportunities to line dance.
The genre has also crossed over more and more into the pop mainstream. In 2024, Beyoncé became the first Black artist to top the UK chart with a Country album with Cowboy Carter, and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was another crossover breakout track that year. After all, Taylor Swift started off Country before going on to worldwide domination.
Luke Combs: Wembley show is both huge and intimate
The weekend-long Wembley run’s support acts alone boast a combined 20million listeners on Spotify. Between they, they exemplify the breadth available within the genre.
Kicking things off, sister trio The Castellows felt like Country heritage brought to life. Their vocals are so crystalline and melodies so tuneful they were reminiscent of the legendary Emmylou Harris or (dare I say it), Dolly Parton herself.
Ty Myers brought a sound perfectly mirrored by the name of his latest album, Heavy on the Soul. His love for London was clear, paying homage with an excellent cover of Amy Winehouse’s version of Valerie.
Thomas Rhett, a Country superstar in his own right, paired the Morgan Wallen-esque modern beats of newer track After All The Bars Are Closed with the good-time love songs of his hit Make Me Wanna.
In a world oversaturated by information and content, what makes Country appealing is that it’s all about truly human storytelling. There are stories of love and loss, toil and strife, beer and barflies.
In front of a packed Wembley, Luke Combs showed himself to be a master storyteller.
Plenty of personal stories
Combs’ recent The Way I Am album may be his most consistently brilliant to date. I could not wait to hear it on the stadium stage. Coming out to a crowd pleasing Sweet Caroline, he went straight into the new goodtime anthem and tour title, My Kinda Saturday Night.
He set the crowd up for a night that could feel as personal as a Texas honky-tonk bar’s dancefloor or as iconic as Wembley Stadium.
Tell ‘Em About Tonight brought possibly his most personal reflections on his career and the fleeting nature of fame. In the tune, he imagines a future where “the only place you might see my name, is on a T-shirt in a closet takin’ up space.”
His set mixed fan favourites such as the cheeky positive breakup song When It Rains It Pours with deeper cuts like Houston, We Got a Problem. Perhaps the biggest sing-a-long of the night came from The Kind of Love We Make.
One of Combs’ great skills is knowing how to keep all eyes on him. Pacing the stage, he has an open and confessional relationship with the crowd. He spoke about how grateful he was to be up there, his love for his wife on the eve of their 6th wedding anniversary, or introducing the next song’s personal meaning.
Ex-Chelsea and England defender John Terry came out to shotgun a beer during 1, 2 Many before Luke ended the main set aptly with Beer Never Broke My Heart.
Coming back to thunderous applause, Luke Combs’ encore started with his incredible cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, rarely does a cover ever be made one’s own while still respecting its legacy.
Luke Combs’ powerhouse vocals
Combs’ true classic Where the Wild Things Are came next and the crowd went wild themselves. He sang the story of someone who lost their big brother to a motorcycle crash, juxtaposing the Wild Things of the bright lights of South California with those of the rural setting where he’s laid to rest back home.
Finishing on the leading track of the Twisters film soundtrack, Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma, Luke’s powerhouse vocals were an ode to contradictions: “I keep running, but I’m standing still. Pray for peace, but I need the thrill.”
At tonight’s thrilling show at Wembley, we as a nation proved our appetite for country. The faraway folk music of a romantic way of life that’s so different to our own. After all, we may have The Crown, but we don’t have cowboys.
Ash was a guest of Experiences by Wembley Stadium. Their Bobby Moore Lounge offers Country themed buffet-style dishes, drinks, a DJ playing Country music and padded stadium seating.