Luke Combs Breaks Down While Performing “Whoever You Turn Out To Be” At Newport Folk Festival

Getting choked up by his own songs.

Whenever you hear a country star sing, you want to think that what they are singing portrays their real-life emotions. However, that feeling is not always reality, as artists draw on previous experiences to craft new narratives and stories. But the songs that do draw from real-life experiences and emotions hit so much harder when they are being sung.

Last year, Luke Combs released his highly personal project, Fathers & Sons, which included a number of songs about fatherhood and raising his two boys, Tex and Beau. After the release, Combs took to social media to share how terrified he was to release a project that he knew might not resonate with all of his fans:

“I’ve been putting out music for over 10 years now. Over time, I’ve gotten a pretty good grasp on what I feel like my fans enjoy hearing. It’s crazy to think about changing that, but I’ve always wanted to grow up alongside my fan base. 

I’ve got two boys under two, so my life is dominated by the thoughts of being there for them. I want to be their dad first and foremost.”

However, fans across the board loved the profoundly personal and vulnerable songs. Shortly after the record’s release, it rose to the top of the iTunes charts, but it did not have the commercial success as some of Combs’ previous records or singles.

While Combs is the first to admit that the record is not his most successful based on streams, he didn’t care. In an interview with People, Combs opened up about the “selfish endeavor.”

“It was probably more of a selfish endeavor for me. It was something that I felt like I wanted to do and something that I wanted to say. And it’s my favorite thing that I’ve done because it’s so personal to me. But commercially, it’s easily my least successful album that I’ve had.”

But some of his biggest hits don’t evoke emotion like this.

Over the weekend, he headlined the Newport Folk Festival at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island, in what was his debut performance there. Given that Combs is a very country artist, having him perform at a folk festival upset some festivalgoers; however, that narrative shifted once he took the stage.

Combs performed a portion of his set acoustically and laid down a stellar cover of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” But during this portion of his set, he also performed a song from Fathers & Sons, “Whoever You Turn Out To Be.”

In the middle of the song, after Combs sings the line “But you ain’t gotta change the world to make your daddy proud,” he fully breaks down and has to take a second to compose himself before continuing with the song.

After taking a few beats with his head in his hands, Combs grabs his towel and apologizes to the crowd:

“Sorry. That got me a little bit.” 

Then jumps back into the chorus, but you can tell that the song is choking him throughout the remainder of the performance. After the song’s conclusion, Combs says to the crowd.

“I remember why we don’t play that one very much… I apologize. I don’t apologize, because I was in the moment there…”

Never aplogize for a moment like this Luke, it’s what fans dream of… authentic, emotional reactions to the music you make.

@lukecombshq “But you ain’t gotta change the world to make your daddy proud” Read More