Tommy Emmanuel, CGP - Living in the Light Tour

Tommy Emmanuel brings his Living in the Light Tour to the Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts on Monday, December 7, 2026, with special guest Trey Hensley. If you've never seen him live, the first thing to know is how he plays: entirely with his thumb and fingers, no pick. He's an acoustic guitarist who can make one instrument sound like a whole band, and he's been doing it since he was six years old, touring Australia with his family's band.

Emmanuel spent years as a sideman and session player, playing on chart-topping hits with Air Supply and Men at Work before stepping out as a solo artist in 1979. A good part of that transition came from Chet Atkins, who became his friend, mentor, and collaborator. Atkins eventually named him a Certified Guitar Player in 2000, a title Emmanuel still carries. Since then, he's played venues from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall, toured with Eric Clapton and John Denver, and collaborated with guitarists like Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Joe Walsh, Richard Thompson, Jason Isbell, and Billy Strings. He's also recorded versions of Classical Gas, Michelle, Drums of Thunder, and Windy and Warm.

He's earned a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement for Plain Jane and is a Member of the Order of Australia. NPR's World Cafe has called him one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world, and MusicRadar ranked him the greatest of all time. This stop in Charlotte is part of his Living in the Light Tour, and he'll be joined on stage by Trey Hensley.

The show is at the Knight Theater at 430 South Tryon Street, starting at 7:30 PM on Monday, December 7. Tickets start at $59.52.