Luke CombsSlane Castle, Co Meath★★★☆☆On Saturday afternoon Slane Castle was indistinguishable from Nashville, Tennessee, as US country music star Luke Combs took to the stage for the first of two nights at the Co Meath venue, which will see him perform to more than 160,000 fans. The hordes who made the pilgrimage were all dressed the part, kitted out in their finest cowboy boots, Stetson hats and American flags. For a fleeting moment, the Royal County was transformed into an oasis of country music.“I could have never imagined nights like tonight,” he said after opening the two-hour long set with the tour’s namesake song My Kinda Saturday Night, before bursting into Tell ’Em About Tonight, from his latest album The Way I Am, a song about one day fading from the limelight. As the first-ever artist to play two back-to-back nights at Slane Castle, Combs may have a few years before this imagined scenario becomes a reality. Combs’ stage presence evoked a classic, albeit stereotypical, image of a country music singer, – an artist and their guitar conjuring intimacy through the honesty of their lyrical storytelling.Luke Combs on stage at Slane Castle on Saturday afternoon. Photograph: Kieran Frost The spareness of the artistic production was counteracted by the use of pyrotechnics throughout the evening, which set the sky ablaze, much to the enjoyment of the fans. Despite the flashy fireworks, the 36-year-old North Carolinian struggled to keep the crowd onside for the full 120-minute show. In a venue as sizeable as Slane, holding the attention of the audience is not an easy feat.He played back-to-back ballads in the middle of the show, and this prolonged slow set saw pockets of the crowd become restless, talking among themselves despite Combs’ impressive vocal displays.One fan confirmed feigning interest at various points, saying she has a preference for songs further back in Combs’ 14-year catalogue over his newer, more stripped-back and mellow work.Luke Combs performing with his band at Slane Castle. Photograph: Kieran Frost The country music star is set to perform to more than 160,000 people across the weekend at Slane Castle. Photograph: Kieran Frost A much-needed injection of energy came from a melody of songs performed by Combs’ band members, especially a brief rendition of She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. The show hit its peak towards the end of the evening as Combs finally began to embrace his honky-tonk roots. The song 1, 2 Many saw people up on shoulders, shotgunning cans of Carlsberg as Irish influencer Garron Noone made a cameo onstage to down a Guinness with Combs. Following this spectacle, the crowd erupted into a brief round of “olé, olé,” the staple seal of approval that they were being entertained. During his three-song encore, Combs paid homage to Tracy Chapman as he performed Fast Car, his 2023 cover which played a significant role in his crossover breakthrough. Fans had their eyes closed, arms open and phones at a minimum. Dermot Kennedy arrived on stage to duet the set’s closing number Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma.[ ‘Perfect atmosphere for country music’: Fans flock to Slane Castle for Luke Combs concertsOpens in new window ]As the final round of fireworks erupted against the now-night sky, and patrons filed out for buses home, cowboy boots in hand, one could not help but think some of Combs’s more upbeat songs should have been introduced earlier in the evening to alleviate the aforementioned lull. Despite this, it is clear that his star power will continue to burn bright as he continues to consolidate himself as one of the new juggernauts of country music.