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Luke Combs had to pause his performance during an emotional moment on stage.
Combs, a father of two young sons, was in the middle of his performance of “Whoever You Turn Out to Be” at the Newport Folk Festival. The heartfelt ballad appears on Fathers & Sons, a 12-track album that arrived in June 2024. A video shared on the Luke Combs HQ Instagram and TikTok accounts over the weekend shows Combs tearing up after singing the lyric, “but you ain’t gotta change the world to make your daddy proud.” He took a moment to wipe tears from his eyes as the crowd cheered and applauded for him. Combs said “sorry” into the microphone, and a fan can be heard off-camera replying, “don’t be.”
Combs and his wife, Nicole Combs, got married in August 2020. They welcomed their firstborn child, son Tex Lawrence Combs, on Father’s Day in June 2022. Baby No. 2, son Beau Lee Combs, followed in August 2023.
“To my boys,” Combs wrote in the note to Tex and Beau, which he shared on Instagram around the time he released “The Man He Sees in Me” from Fathers & Sons. “First and foremost, I will always love you, no matter what. With this song, I want you to know that even though I’m not perfect, I try my hardest every day to be the best version of myself for you both. I’ll make mistakes along the way and some days you’ll be sick of your old man I’m sure, but dang we’ll have some fun, too. I can’t wait to see what you both turn out to be like and I hope someday down the road I get to watch you and your kids do the same. Love, Dad.”
Fathers & Sons is the latest studio album from Combs. He’s since delivered his latest single, “Back in the Saddle,” featuring NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty in the music video. Combs previously confirmed he “will be doing a headline tour next year and I am actively working on new music.”