With a beer in one hand and a mic in the other, Luke Combs finally took center stage at Levi’s Stadium on May 18th, 2024. Venturing into uncharted territory, I decided to accompany Madeline Crowley to this country concert for her birthday. We arrived at 6 p.m. and found that the opener had already started. No matter though, since Luke Combs had not one, not two, but four openers before he took the stage. After downing some overpriced chicken tenders and fries, we made our way toward the stage. While Madeline knew a few songs from the third opener, I only recognized the last performer, Jordan Davis, from his popular songs “Buy Dirt” and “Next Thing You Know”. Incidentally, I only knew these songs due to my many rides in Tim Crowley’s Toyota Camry.
When Luke finally took the take, the energy was electric. Multiple fights erupted in the crowd as teenagers tried to shove past alcohol-impaired, burly, 40-year-old men. Luckily, we were protected from these dangers by a woman we had never met, who labeled us as her children. Barricaded by our new mother, we were able to battle against the current of stumbling middle-aged men. Although I was worried I wouldn’t know many of the songs, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could sing along to about ⅔ of the setlist! Some of my favorite performances included “The Kind of Love We Make”, “Going Going Gone”, “Beautiful Crazy”, and “Where the Wild Things Are”. Luke also performed a cover of “Copperhead Road”, an exciting surprise for one of our fellow concert-goers, Josh Provenzano, who has a special love for older country music.
The highlight of the night, however, came when Luke began performing “1, 2 Many”, a song about drinking beyond one’s means. As he waltzed across the stage, Luke invited two mysterious figures from behind the curtains to join him. Facing a now, near-hysterical audience, Brock Purdy and George Kittle took the stage, toting a box of Bud Lights. Spraying the beverage all over the stage and audience, George Kittle crushed cans together to celebrate the night. Needless to say, Madeline and I were pretty excited.
While I used to say I hated country music, I can safely admit that I have changed my mind. The kindness of the people in the crowd, the joy of the songs, and the excitement of the 49ers’ surprise made this concert one-of-a-kind. If you haven’t gone to a country concert yet, I would highly recommend giving it a try!