Jake Worthington announced to the world that he’s taking some time away from country music to focus on himself and his family. Worthington is one of the few modern country artists that take pride in bringing the classic country sound to the table. The saying “out with the old and in with the new” typically applies in most areas, but not with modern country music. It’s in with the old right now, and artists like Worthington (and Zach Top) are at the forefront of that movement. The “Not Like I Used To” singer prides himself in paying tribute to the country music stars of yesteryear, but earlier today, the country singer took to social media to announce that he’s followed down the path of legends a little too closely. Worthington admitted that the life he’s been living has gotten the best of him, and he’s now stepping away from his country music career to take time to focus on himself, his wife, and his daughter: “I live a life as my heroes did, but that life gotten a hold of me. I love my family, my friends, and my fans too much to let it take over me. I need to take some time to work on myself for my wife and my daughter. I promise I will come back even better. God bless country music.” It’s unclear which tour dates will be rescheduled at the moment. View this post on Instagram Sad to see the talented Jake Worthington walk away… but happy that he’s getting the help he needs. It’s no secret that tour life can take a toll on you in more ways than one. Whether it’s your physical health, your mental health, or you’re just having a little too much fun, trying to power through it can lead to an even worse situation in the end. Good for Jake for recognizing that. The neotraditional country artist joins number of other artists who have taken time out of their 2026 to focus on themselves. Chase Rice, Randall King, and Colter Wall have all made announcements to their fans this year that they needed to step away (Rice has since come back). Though worrisome, it’s good to see that all of them are prioritizing their health. And it was great to see that, in the comment section of Jake Worthington’s post, plenty of fans and fellow artists were rushing to show support for his decision A whole lot of prayers and good vibes are being sent Jake’s way as he steps away from country music for the time being: “This is a big deal, and I hope you give yourself credit for how brave it is.” “Christ is sufficient brother. Give it all to Him. I’m proud of you for taking this step.” “God knows you son. He’s with you. Lay it down and trust him with it!” “You’re a heck of a man Jake! Will be praying for you!” “Sending prayers for you and your family.” “Takes a real man to admit and do something about it. We’ll be here when you’re ready ole-son!” “Praying for you all. Country music wouldn’t be country without JW. We will all be here supporting you every step of the way.” “We ain’t meant to be perfect. We’re meant to improve. Keep your head up, buddy.” “Praying for and believing in you brother.” We here at Whiskey Riff are all rooting for you too, Jake. Take all the time you need.The post Jake Worthington Temporarily Stepping Away From Country Music To “Work On Myself For My Wife & My Daughter” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Luke Combs can’t stop breaking records along his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour. The “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” singer had already broken two long-standing attendance records in 2026 during stops in Ohio and Tennessee. When his tour visited Ohio Stadium (home of the Ohio State Buckeyes) in Columbus, Ohio last month, the concert drew 97,367. Then at the beginning of this month, Combs set up shop at Rocky Top, and broke Garth Brooks’ standing record when 92,045 attended his show at Neyland Stadium. And after his two night stop at the historic Green Bay venue on May 15 and 16, he collected yet another attendance record. The Packers excitedly shared through a press release that the country music superstar now boasts the title of highest attended concert in Lambeau Field history: “Luke Combs drew a crowd of 51,981 fans to Lambeau Field on Saturday, May 16, during his ‘My Kinda Saturday Night Tour,’ marking the highest attendance for a concert by a single artist in stadium history. Combined with Friday night’s attendance of 40,559, the two shows drew a total of 92,540 fans. The concerts also marked the first time Lambeau Field hosted back-to-back shows by the same artist over a single weekend.” Another fun fact about his Green Bay, Wisconsin stop? He was only the fourth ever artist to play at the stadium. Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Kenny Chesney are the only other acts that have ever been lucky enough to play at the home of the Green Bay Packers. That’s pretty good company to be in for the country star. Clearly, Luke Combs is in very high demand. Earlier this year, the country star released his “I’m back” project – the high-energy The Way I Am album. Safe to say, the fans have responded enthusiastically to that record, and have packed stadiums along his tour every chance they’ve gotten. And it was a bucket list item for him to play Lambeau Field, so he’s got to be over the moon about holding the attendance record at the historic football field. It was reported that Combs even modified his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour stage set up so that he could play there. For the rest of the tour, Luke’s stage is set up at center field, and features a sizable in-the-round stage. With Lambeau Field, they require that concerts only use end zone stages, so that the field stays preserved and promotes the growth of grass more. Combs followed those orders, and now that he’s the concert attendance record holder there, I’m sure he’s glad he made it work. Now, Luke Combs takes his My Kinda Saturday Night Tour on it’s international leg. I’m not sure what the attendance records at some of these stadiums are… but if we’ve learned anything in 2026, it’s that standing record holders better watch out when Luke Combs comes to town: My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates May 30 – Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 – Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 – Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 – Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 – Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 – Johan Cruijff Arena – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 – Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 – Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 – Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 – Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 – Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 2 – Wembley Stadium – London, UKThe post Luke Combs Breaks His 3rd Attendance Record Of 2026… This Time At Green Bay’s Lambeau Field first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

What is Beulah Jackson really up to? Ep. 3 of 'Dutton Ranch' may have shared more than intended. Continue reading…

Zach Top stayed scarce intentionally when he first moved to Nashville. The rising country star that’s famously helped revive the country sound of yesteryear has had a whirlwind couple of years in Music City. He was originally form Sunnyside, Washington, and it was there that he found his neotraditional sound. When he moved to Nashville in 2021, he was already started to get some buzz online and in industry circles. Top explained in a recent episode of the Zach Sang Show that his good friend and frequent collaborator, Carson Chamberlain, advised him to not play too many shows when he made the move to Nashville… the opposite of the advice you generally hear in Music City. Ask most artists or songwriters what to do and they’ll tell you to write with everyone, play any gig you get… any opportunity you have is one where you can potentially grown your fanbase. But Chamberlain advised the opposite: “The way he presented it to me – and looking back on it, it was super accurate – was that it can be easy to lose any mystique you have. For me, I was starting to have a little bit of buzz on social media, but I was halfway across the country. And nobody knew where I was or really who I was. Then I moved to Nashville, and Carson was like, ‘You need to keep Nashville at arm’s length just a little bit.’ Play hard to get, I guess.” Evidently, that worked out swimmingly for Zach Top. Now that he looks back on that advice, he credits a lot of his success to that approach. Country music fans, especially in the Nashville area, wanted to see Top live… and that opportunity didn’t present itself all that often. He kept his live performances in Music City to a minimum, and there’s good reason for that: “The way Nashville works, there’s so much going on. There’s something going on every afternoon and night of the week. So if you start taking every gig you can get, like ‘Layla’s on Tuesday evenings, then play this writers round on Wednesday nights, then Thursday over at Robert’s.’ When you are so accessible, people go see you and the first time it’s, ‘Holy cow, what was that? That was really cool.’ Then you start… it’s like the town almost becomes desensitized to you. Whatever was kind of special and cool (turns into), ‘Oh yeah, he’s just one of the whoever is playing shows or writers rounds.’ There’s definitely a lot of people that it’s worked for. But looking back, I think it was really strong advice.” View this post on Instagram If you think about it, that’s just good business. Perhaps risky business, but it’s simple supply and demand really. When there’s a surplus, there’s less value. When there’s scarcity, things become more valuable. Zach Top found that the same is true for artists getting started, and he stuck to the advice that his good friend gave him. Although, I’d venture to guess that really only applies when you’re really, really good, and really experienced. Zach was both. That mystique that Top mentioned kept fans intrigued, and his success story proves that sometimes wonder is worth more than knowing. Obviously, once fans see and hear Zach Top, there’s a slim chance that they wouldn’t want to hear more from him. But just in case… the “I Never Lie” singer kept his appearances sparse, and it certainly looks like it worked out for him. You can hear more from Zach Top in the interview below: The post Zach Top Explains Why He Didn’t Play Many Gigs In Nashville When He First Moved To Town first appeared on Whiskey Riff.