NASCAR, Luke Combs Set For Pre-Race Concert At Daytona ... With Fans
It won't be like the concerts Luke Combs is used to playing, but his pre-race performance at the Daytona 500 on February 14 should still get the juices flowing again. Combs hasn't performed for a crowd since March 2020, but that will all end when he performs at 1 p.m. ET on race day.
“I can’t wait to feel that energy again. Man, I miss it,” Combs told The Associated Press. “It’s the first live show I’ve played since March of 2020, and I’d say it’s pretty dang huge. It’s the thing that allows the fan to be connected to the artist in a very intimate way, something that you can’t really explain. Live music is a way for us to be able to disconnect from everything else, and just be there in the moment. The pandemic has definitely hurt our industry as a whole, but I personally just really miss being on stage every night with the guys and the fans.
“It’s why I do what I do,” Combs went on. “When I said, ‘I miss the road, I miss my band’ in my song ‘Six Feet Apart,’ I really meant it. It’s hard being away from (the fans), and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
In 2020, Combs won Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards.
An exact capacity for the Daytona 500 has yet to be announced, but Combs will be on some sort of stage performing for fans as the United States starts to make its way out of the COVID era and inches towards a return to normal.
"While the stands may not be 101,500 strong, one truth remains: we are as committed as ever to delivering a best-in-class experience at the World Center of Racing for The Great American Race," the Daytona International Speedway website reads. "From the awe of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flyover, to the rumble of 40 engines roaring around the high banks on the biggest stage in motorsports – the DAYTONA 500 is sure to once again deliver the pageantry, thrills, and drama for all fans, especially those able to attend in person."