Luke Combs Drops By Cincinnati Bengals Practice Before Playing Back-To-Back Shows at Team’s Home Stadium
Luke Combs is nothing if not a hospitable guest. The “Fast Car” country star proved it on Thursday (August 1) when he dropped by the Cincinnati Bengals’ pre-season practice to hang with some of the home team’s stars before setting up shop for two nights at the NFL squad’s home stadium this weekend.
According to ESPN, Combs braved the oppressive humidity to chat on the sidelines between drills with star wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Maar Chase, as well as defensive end Sam Hubbard and team president Mike Brown. In a video posted by the team, Higgins can be seen admiring Combs’ new watch as his teammates are put through their paces in the background.
Hubbard told the sports network that Combs was, “a really nice guy… He was super down-to-earth, relatable. Cool to see all the guys interacting with him. Cool to see the owners talking to him when he was about to play in the stadium.”
North Carolina native Combs — who typically cheers for the Carolina Panthers — has worn a custom Bengals jersey with his name on it before on his current Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old stadium tour. The drop-in came a day before the singer will play his first of back-to-back shows in The Jungle, the affectionate nickname for the team’s home Paycor Stadium.
Friday night’s (August 2) gig will feature support from Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, Hailey Whitters and the Wilder Blue, while Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, Drew Parker and Colby Acuff will warm things up on Saturday (August 3); local forecasts predict potential heavy rainstorms around showtime on Friday.
The Bengals, who are expected to make another Super Bowl run this year after falling out of the race in 2023 following quarterback Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury, seemed excited to have a visit from their celebrity guest. Tennessee native Higgins — who moved to Nashville in 2014 — said he’s very familiar with Combs and appreciated the pop-in. “It shows that he’s actually invested in sports and not just an artist,” Higgins said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Not for nothing, Hubbard said Combs will be making his fantasy draft picks inside Paycor Stadium this weekend during his two-night stand. In honor of the visit, the Bengals Pro Shop revealed on Friday morning that they have custom Combs t-shirts for the weekend featuring the singer’s name above the team’s roaring Who Dey tiger logo.
Check out footage of Combs’ visit below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
