Luke Combs brings out Miranda Lambert as guest at Bonnaroo
Luke Combs headline the opening night of the 2025 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and he brought out a very special guest, Miranda Lambert.
- Neyland Stadium has hosted relatively few concerts over the years, by stars including Michael Jackson, Garth Brook and – in 2024 – Morgan Wallen.
- Could the next one be a show by Luke Combs? Social media posts have been broadly hinting at that.
- The country music star has been teasing a big announcement for Oct. 9.
If you’ve been putting the social media puzzle pieces together, the picture of the next performer to headline a concert at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium is getting clearer.
The latest clue includes a video of the stadium with Luke Combs’ newest song “My Kinda Saturday Night” playing in the background. Tennessee Athletics shared the clip on X with the caption “10.09.25.”
Coincidentally, Combs is teasing something big to be announced on Oct. 9.
“It started nearly a decade ago and it’s only grown larger. Night after night, you’ve shown up. But what comes next … This is different. This is … bigger,” Combs shared in an Instagram video.
The social media clues come nearly two weeks after speculation began spreading online that country star Luke Combs was slated to make a tour stop at Neyland in “May 2026.” The claim was first reported by Knoxville sports radio station WKGN and Barstool Tennessee, an affiliate of Barstool Sports.
Combs performing in Tennessee’s largest stadium would make him only the fifth artist to do so, joining the likes of Michael Jackson and Garth Brooks. Morgan Wallen did it last year in record-breaking style.
Given how rare it is for the home of the Vols to transform into a concert venue, what’s the likelihood of a Combs appearance there? Here’s what we know so far.
Is Luke Combs going on tour in 2026?
The country star reduced his touring schedule earlier this year, but he’s back with new music. “The Prequel” EP was released Oct. 3, featuring three songs, including “My Kinda Saturday Night.”
“Still working on my new album that’ll be out early next year but 3 songs from it are ready now and I couldn’t wait to get y’all some new music,” Combs wrote in an Instagram post.
In that same post, he also announced that his 2026 tour will be named after the song, “My Kinda Saturday Night.” No dates for the tour have been announced as of Oct. 7, but that might change come Oct. 9.
Earlier this year, he shared an update on recording a new album.
“I can honestly say I’ve never felt better about one at this stage. It’s early on but I really do think it could wind up being the best record I’ve ever made,” Combs wrote on X.
But before either an album or a tour, Combs and his wife are expecting another project. “Third time’s a charm! Baby #3 coming this winter,” the couple announced on Instagram Sept. 23.
Combs’ most recent headlining tour was in 2024. The “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” tour supported his fifth studio album, “Fathers & Sons” (2024).
He last performed in Knoxville in 2019 at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Some of Combs’ most popular songs include “Beautiful Crazy,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “Hurricane” and a cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.
Is Neyland preparing to host more concerts?
Morgan Wallen, a Gibbs High School graduate and one of music’s biggest superstars, drew a 156,000-plus crowd for a two-night affair at Neyland in 2024. The two shows were the first headlining concerts at the stadium in five years.
Wallen is not expected to be the last, though.
“Whenever you have an iconic venue like Neyland Stadium, we will continue to look for opportunities to host events on Rocky Top, beyond just football game days,” Director of Athletics Danny White said in a Sept. 25 statement to Knox News following speculation that Combs would be playing the venue next.
“Given our close proximity to Nashville, there’s no reason Knoxville cannot become a major destination for a wide variety of concerts,” White added.
Drawing stadium-touring artists benefits the university and the city. Wallen’s concerts, for instance, reportedly brought in over $80 million worth of economic impact.
“We are committed to actively exploring options that will benefit our entire campus community while ensuring they align with our financial goals,” White said
Related to hosting concerts at the stadium, in an ambitious project, UT plans to convert the G10 parking garage near Neyland Stadium into the Neyland Entertainment District with a hotel, restaurants and access to the stadium.
The project is projected to cost $167 million and is slated to be completed in two phases in 2027 and 2028.
Challenges to hosting concerts at Neyland
Hosting concerts at Neyland is all about the timing. Not only does an artist have to be popular enough to fill the large stadium but shows can’t interfere too much with classes or with the football season.
Wallen’s Neyland concerts took months to produce in the middle of a semester and football season. And crews only had a brief window to transform the venue for a concert following a football game just days before.
“I don’t think any of us are ready to do it again any time soon,” Alicia Longworth, executive associate athletics director of external operations for Tennessee Athletics, told Knox News last year after the two Wallen concerts successfully concluded. “Let’s focus on football.”
UT has two other venues for concerts: Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center and Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
“I think the arena will stay our main concert venue,” Longworth added in 2024. “The Food City Center is set up to do that.”
Who’s performing at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center?
While we wait for the official announcement Combs is playing Neyland next year, here are upcoming concerts confirmed at Food City Center:
- Zach Top | Oct. 9
- Brandon Lake | Oct. 16
- GloRilla | Oct. 18
- Lainey Wilson | Oct. 24
- Jonas Brothers | Nov. 4
- Alabama | Dec. 7
- Pentatonix | Dec. 13
- Rascal Flatts | Jan. 16
- GHOST | Jan. 24
- Bailey Zimmerman | Feb. 27
- Eric Church | March 5
- HARDY | April 9
Tickets and information for each of these concerts are available via Ticketmaster.com.
Get tickets for Knoxville concerts
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email [email protected].
Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
