Luke Combs in Cincinnati: Our 6 favorite moments from his 2 massive shows

Luke Combs hit Cincinnati like a hurricane this weekend.

The country music superstar brought his Growin' Up and Gettin' Old Tour to the Queen City for a two-night stop at Paycor Stadium on Friday and Saturday. Combs made both nights a unique experience, adding different elements to each show, from his openers to the special guests he brought on stage.

I missed out on the Friday concert, only catching clips on social media. But I fully embraced the Luke Combs experience Saturday, as I joined the tens of thousands of other fans who packed the stadium to see him perform.

Here are my favorite moments from his Cincinnati shows.

His openers made it a mini-festival

Combs didn't just have one or two acts open for him. He had four different artists sing both nights: Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, Hailey Whitters and The Wilder Blue on Friday. Jordan Davis, Mitchell Tenpenny, Drew Parker and Colby Acuff on Saturday.

As someone who would attend Country Concert in Fort Loramie, Ohio, during my high school and college days, the number of openers almost made his show like a miniature music festival.

The two big names Saturday, Tenpenny and Davis, are successful enough to headline tours themselves. I actually chose to go to the second night due to Tenpenny. Many of his songs are perfect for day drinking. Plus, his 2020 show at the Bluestone in Columbus was my last concert before COVID-19. My first country concert after the pandemic? Last night, with him and Combs.

Both Tenpenny, who sported a Joe Burrow jersey, and Davis got the crowd ready for the main event, singing their major hits; Tenpenny with his "Alcohol You Later" and "We Got History" and Davis with his "Singles You Up" and "Buy Dirt."

And the latter song served me the perfect line, considering I was covering this concert for my job: "Do what you love but call it work."

Wearing the Cincy Hat both nights

Combs came out on stage both Friday and Saturday wearing a Cincy Hat, from the collection made by Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras. Combs attended Bengals practice Thursday, and Karras gave him a pack of hats, saying it would mean a lot if he wore it on stage, according to Enquirer Bengals reporter Kelsey Conway.

And the country superstar did just that.

Cincy Hat sales benefit The Village of Merici, which is "an Indianapolis-based living community and services provider for adults with disabilities," per the Cincy Hat website.

Kudos to both Karras and Combs.

Chugging beers with Trey Hendrickson

I, unfortunately, didn't see this one live, as it happened Friday, but it would be wrong of me not to add to the story. Combs has made chugging beers with special guests somewhat of a tradition during his shows. Last month, he brought "Twisters" star Glen Powell on stage at MetLife Stadium.

During the Aug. 2 concert, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson joined him in shotgunning beers. The moment seemed pretty electric.

Remembering his humble beginnings

Before singing his 2021 song "Doin' This" from his album "Growin' Up," Combs looked back at his humble beginnings.

"Doin' This" is about what Combs would be doing with his life if he wasn't a country superstar. The song says he would essentially be doing the same thing, just on a smaller scale, hence the lines "I'd have a Friday night crowd in the palm of my hand. Cup of brown liquor, couple buddies in a band."

"I realized the answer would be, I would still be doing this if I wasn't doing this," Combs said Saturday. "I would just not be playing in a stadium. Eight years ago, I played in Tin Roof Cincinnati. Eight years ago. I would just be back there having as much fun as I'm having tonight."

Combs has come a long way since playing at Tin Roof, and it was cool to hear him give the Downtown bar a shoutout. Perhaps it'll serve as inspiration for the acts currently performing there.

Allowing his band to sing their favorite songs

My favorite part about attending massive concerts is seeing and hearing the thousands of fans belt out the artists' hits. Combs has plenty of those, as almost every song he sang regularly plays on the radio.

"Fast Car," "Beautiful Crazy," "When It Rains It Pours," "Beer Never Broke My Heart" and the list goes on.

But it was also fun seeing the fans scream-sing non-Combs songs. During a later portion of his concert, Combs had his band members sing their favorite tunes. From "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" by Shania Twain to Train's "Drops of Jupiter" and "What Was I Thinkin" by Dierks Bentley, it was a fun dose of nostalgia that took me back to singing those tracks in the car as a kid.

Giving the ultimate fantasy football punishment

Remember when I said Combs gave a unique show both nights? That was certainly the case Saturday, when he made the losers of his fantasy football league sing on stage.

"Lucky for me, there was a scoring issue in the last game, and my two best friends in the whole world both lost. And they both have to come out and sing in front of you guys tonight," he said.

The two men ultimately sung (or tried to sing) "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn, which went horribly for them. They danced around in blue suede shoes and belted the lyrics at the top of their lungs. I don't know which was louder, their voices or everyone's laughter.

It, however, served as a good reminder of the concert as a whole: Combs may be one of the biggest names in music, but he knows how to give his fans memorable shows. He sings his heart out and curates unique experiences that only the people in attendance that specific night can say they witnessed.

It was pretty special to be a part of.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 6 epic moments from Luke Combs' Cincinnati shows