Luke Combs Highlights Distinctive UK Fanbase Ahead of Historic royal Albert Hall Performance
London – Country music megastar Luke Combs has praised the dedicated and attentive fanbase in the United Kingdom, noting a meaningful difference in listening habits compared to his audiences in the United States. Combs is set to perform a one-off show at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday, bringing the Grand Ole opry to London for the first time.
Combs,who first visited the UK six or seven times ago,observed a growing appetite for country music. “This is my sixth or seventh time in the UK and the fans here love country music. The appetite for it is here. When we started coming over here… it was just so cool to see there were this many country fans,” he said. He attributes the genreS increased accessibility to streaming services, contrasting the UK experience with the US model where radio singles typically drive initial popularity. “In the States, we have singles that we promote to radio, which become the songs that get people drawn in. But when you come the UK, everyone has consumed the whole album already.” This results in UK fans requesting deeper cuts, songs that wouldn’t necessarily feature on a typical US setlist.
Combs further described UK audiences as “a very listening crowd,” contrasting them with the “very loud, a bit of a melee” atmosphere of his American shows. “The energy over here is great but everyone’s listening to the music. They’re focused on what you’re saying and what the lyrics are.”
Joining Combs on the bill is award-winning singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde, who also acknowledged the broadening of country music’s appeal through artists like Post Malone and Jelly roll, “exposing us to different ears.” McBryde stated, “There’s not another city on the planet that I would name before London to do the Grand Ole Opry.”
For Combs, his own 2016 debut performance on the Grand Ole Opry stage at age 26 remains a pivotal career moment.”You make your Opry debut and your mom, dad and grandma come in town and it’s this linchpin of your whole career,” he recalled. “You remember thes certain moments, and your Opry debut is one of these moments that puts a feather in your cap and you just remember it forever.”
Opry boss Colin Reed indicated that a successful London show could pave the way for future events. Combs believes the Royal Albert Hall is “a perfect venue” for the occasion, adding, ”they’ve never done anything like this before but I think they’ve chosen the right place.”
