Luke Combs took to Instagram Live on Tuesday night to perform the first of what he promised will be many Livestreamed shows, as the United States settles into a discipline of social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’ll do one every week we’re quarantined,” Combs said at the conclusion of the four-song set, which kicked off with a soulful cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit “Fast Car” and included the debut of a new song, “What Do You Do When It Rains?”, that he just wrote during a writing retreat in Florida.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B923WkSpFxq
Dressed in jeans, a camo fleece vest, and a baseball hat, and sitting on a Miller Lite stool with a red Solo cup within reach, Combs apologized for sweating so much. “It’s hot in here. I turned the air off for this video,” he said (unlike Liam Gallagher, who feared the worst when his house got stuffy).
Combs also sang a pair of his big country-radio hits, “When It Rains It Pours” and his breakthrough single “Hurricane.” But the North Carolina native didn’t just let the music do the talking — he also gave a shout-out to the World Health Organization and encouraged his fans to monitor their website and social accounts. “The World Health Organization is doing a great job of keeping everybody up to date,” he said. “Check their website, who.int, or on their socials @WHO.”
Like most all country artists, Combs had his live concerts affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, his headlining appearances at the C2C Festival in the U.K. were scrapped when the festival was forced to postpone.
