It seems Luke Combs has a hankering for going back to his roots, and I’m not mad about it.
This past Monday, January 19, he took the stage at City Winery in Nashville for a live taping of Sunday Sitdown hosted by TODAY’s Willie Geist. Luckily, a viewer in the audience caught an awesome conversation between the two in which the RIAA’s highest-certified country artist admitted that he was yearning to revisit the small venues he started out at.
Combs told Geist, “I dream of doing like an entire tour of just venues I used to play. Like 20-some shows, of just like all the little SEC town bars I can.”
The North Carolina Native went on to list off his bucket list of spots, “Dream line up…I’ll probably do Brick Street, Oxford, Ohio. The South Carolina…just the whole state. Play Tin Roof Columbia a bunch of times, Georgia Theater in Athens, or the 40 Watt in Athens.”
For those unaware of any of these spots, imagine what a perfect Friday night out looks like, and that’s the ambiance. Brick Street, Tin Roof, Georgia Theater, and 40 Watts are all fairly small stages perfect for discovering the next big artist. For example, you can find viral singer Tyler Nance at Brick Street in a few weeks on Feb 11, or Pecos & The Rooftops playing at Georgia Theater on January 29.
Before he skyrocketed to his well-deserved notoriety in country music and moved on to sell out stadium tours, a young 28-year-old Combs was serenading weekly crowds at joints like Tin Roof.
Obviously, returning to venues like this would be a rarity for Combs, given his massive popularity. Still, it’s easy to see the motivation is purely nostalgic. “Free tickets, just first come, first served,” he said, prompting shocked “ooos” from both Geist and the crowd (most likely fueled by equal parts excitement and the mental image of the chaos that would inevitably unfold as fans brawl to get inside).
While the logistics of a small batch tour like this may be hard to accomplish, this wouldn’t be the first time that Combs’ generosity has led him to put on free concerts for his fans. Back in 2022, Combs lost his voice during a show in Maine, and not only did he power through the show, but he also refunded everyone’s tickets.
During the Monday Night Live taping, Combs also performed his latest smash hit, “Sleepless in A Hotel Room,” live for the first time. With the full album, The Way I Am, set to release on March 20, and the My Kinda Saturday Night Tour ramping up the following day in Las Vegas, we’ll all have to cross our fingers that Combs decides to throw in some impromptu small batch shows throughout the mix.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
March 21, 2026 — Las Vegas, NV at Allegiant Stadium
April 4, 2026 — Charlottesville, VA at Scott Stadium
April 11, 2026 — Ames, IA at MidAmerican Energy Field (Jack Trice Stadium)
April 18, 2026 — South Bend, IN at Notre Dame Stadium
April 25, 2026 — Columbus, OH at Ohio Stadium
May 2, 2026 — Knoxville, TN at Neyland Stadium
May 15, 2026 — Green Bay, WI at Lambeau Field
May 16, 2026 — Green Bay, WI at Lambeau Field
May 29, 2026 — Montreal, QC at Parc Jean‑Drapeau
May 30, 2026 — Montreal, QC at Parc Jean‑Drapeau
June 5, 2026 — Toronto, ON at Rogers Stadium
June 6, 2026 — Toronto, ON at Rogers Stadium
July 4, 2026 — Göteborg, Sweden at Ullevi Stadium
July 7, 2026 — Paris, France at Accor Arena
July 11, 2026 — Amsterdam, Netherlands at Johan Cruijff ArenA
July 18, 2026 — Co. Meath, Ireland at Slane Castle
July 19, 2026 — Co. Meath, Ireland at Slane Castle
July 24, 2026 — Edinburgh, UK at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
July 25, 2026 — Edinburgh, UK at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
July 31, 2026 — London, UK at Wembley Stadium
August 1, 2026 — London, UK at Wembley Stadium
August 2, 2026 — London, UK at Wembley Stadium