BILLBOARD – When it came time to kick off the 2025 CMA Awards on Wednesday night (Nov. 19), Luke Combs didn’t waste any time — he just hopped “Back in the Saddle.”

Taking to the stage at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Combs — dressed in his usual short-sleeved button-up shirt and baseball cap — fired up the stage (literally) with a performance of his country hit, complete with a hefty payload of pyrotechnics to give the show just a little more oomph.

To set the tone, Combs reshaped the stage to look like the stables at a rodeo, with his band taking up their position in the stalls around him. As flames flared behind him and the crowd cheered him on, Combs wailed his way through the country-rock track to set the tone for the evening. “‘Cause I’m back in the saddle like some old cowboy, who dug his way out of his grave,” Combs belted. “Pulled up his boots, put his pistol on his hip, climbed up and took hold of the reins.”