Luke Combs will roll into Lambeau Field this week as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2026, the first country artist to have two songs surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify and a two-time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year.
That the home of the Green Bay Packers is even on his radar is flattering in itself, but the chance to get to play there meant so much to the superstar that he went next level to help make it happen.
“Luke changed his stage to play here,” said Gabrielle Dow, Packers vice president of marketing and fan engagement.
The 36-year-old North Carolina native will make Lambeau Field history May 15 and 16 when he becomes the first act to play back-to-back nights at the stadium with his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour. It’s only the fifth major tour to ever play Lambeau and the first in seven years.
The seven previous stops on the stadium tour – all at college football stadiums, except for the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium – have featured a massive in-the-round stage in the center of the field. The Packers, however, require an end zone stage to better preserve the field and the growth of the grass.
“So he went out and created an end zone stage to play here,” Dow said. “That’s really special and unique.”
It was Combs who first contacted the Packers about playing Lambeau, Dow said. They had several conversations about why he wanted to perform there.
“He’s kind of fulfilling his bucket list,” she said. “He wants to play Lambeau Field. That is something he talks about.”
But for an artist to add their name to the short list of headliners who have played under the stars at Lambeau – Paul McCartney, Billy Joel and Kenny Chesney (twice) – it’s not as simple as just the desire to do it. The mystique that sets Lambeau apart as a football venue is also at play when it comes to selecting touring acts.
“We’re very particular about who is performing in this building, and you had better be able to sell out and fill our stadium. That’s one reason. Secondly, is the act iconic enough to play here as well?” Dow said.
“We get solicited and offered up to host tons of different events but … we kind of look at that and go, ‘OK, is this somebody who should be part of our brand? That would sell out the building? That is historical enough to play at Lambeau?’”
The aim is for Lambeau Field to be regarded as a bucket list venue for artists, Dow said.
Hosting NFL draft was good test run for back-to-back concerts
Megan Roberson, manager of booking and event operations for the Packers, caught the My Kinda Saturday Night Tour April 25 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus to help get a better understanding of operations and security to ensure the Packers put their best foot forward when they host. The concert was outstanding, she said, and she thinks Combs is a perfect fit for Lambeau.
“He’s such a good human and really prides himself on his values and being a family man and is really proud of his wife and his children, and I think that really aligns with the Green Bay Packers community,” Roberson said. “Not only did he want to come for one night, he wanted to come for two nights.”
Dow said the Packers fan base gravitates toward good country music, as evidenced by game days and fan and season ticket holder surveys. Ticket sales are also routinely robust for country acts at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon, where Combs played back-to-back nights in 2022, Milwaukee’s Summerfest and at country festivals in the state.
The first of 20 to 25 trucks with the tour are expected to arrive at Lambeau Field the morning of May 11 to start the load-in process.
Having the stage in the end zone allows the track to be used for part of it, rather than having it on the 50-yard line, right in the bull’s-eye of where much of the game is played, Dow said. A special flooring will be put down to protect the field.
Hosting back-to-back concert nights is new for the Packers, who typically have a week between home games to get the stadium ready for the next crowd. But Dow said hosting 200,000 people a day across three days of the 2025 NFL draft was a great test run.
“The draft was like a concert, times 20,” Dow said.
Once concertgoers are out of the stadium after the show ends at 11 p.m. Friday, cleaning crews will begin work on turning everything around in time for the parking lots to open at 2:45 p.m. Saturday.
The Packers are hoping for more than 40,000 people Friday, which was added after the original Saturday date was announced, and what likely will be a sellout crowd of 55,000-plus on the second night, Roberson said.
She expects those going Friday to take the afternoon off from work to tailgate before music starts at 5:20 p.m. The lineup of guest acts (in order) both nights is Thelma & James, Jake Worthington, Ty Myers and Dierks Bentley.
On Saturday afternoon, the Combs team is hosting the Whiskey Jam Tailgate from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in the Titletown district. It will feature music by Harper Grace and Aniston Pate, vendors and photo opportunities. Roberson anticipates it will be a big draw.
She expects the tailgating scene both days to have all the energy and excitement of a Packers game day but just look a little different.
“Forego the jerseys for your cowboy hats and cowboy boots,” she said.
The Packers are excited to welcome fans who perhaps have never been to the stadium before, Dow said. Concert crowds are sure to be in for some “Beautiful Crazy” goose bump moments that only Lambeau Field can deliver. McCartney’s performance of “Live and Let Die” and its barrage of pyro and fireworks in 2019 comes to mind for her.
“It’s electrifying,” she said. “I think when you have those memorable moments and those once-in-a-lifetime moments of seeing your favorite artist, on someone’s bucket list, at Lambeau, in an iconic stadium, it’s kind of a surreal experience.”
So what might the Packers have up their sleeve to welcome Combs, a dad of three young boys, Tex, Beau and Chet, to their home? That’s top secret for now, but if you’re thinking a custom jersey with his name on the back, you might what to think again.
“We have something more unique,” Dow said. “We’ve done our homework. I think we even have something for his kids … It will not be like any other team or venue.”
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
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