Post Malone
21st November 2023
The Outer Fields, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Charlotte Lightbody, photography by David Watson.
The Western Springs’ Outerfields bore witness to a pulsating party of beats and melodies as Post Malone, with his signature easy, self-unserious charisma, took to the stage. Australian indie rocker, Angus Stone warmed up the crowd along with bluesy vocals and psychedelic rock style. The perfect kind of music to vibe with while we all wondered whether the blue-black sky was going to open up on us.
The main act kicked off with pyro which is always a promising sign, setting the tone for an epic evening ahead. As Post appeared after a mesmerising instrumental introduction the crowd erupted into cheers as the first notes of “Better Now” echoed through the venue.
Postie wandered across all areas of the stage in his leopard print shorts, goofy smile and dainty dance moves, ensuring that no corner was left untouched by his musical prowess. The intermittent pyrotechnics punctuated the high, highs of the show daring the sky to give up the downpour it teased all night. Everyone loves a good Fleetwood Mac cover, and Post didn’t disappoint in treating the crowd to ‘Hollywood Dreams / Comedown’. Another teeny highlight for me, weirdly, was his ‘Jonestown (Interlude)’ which I have always really enjoyed from the Beerbongs & Bentleys album, so that was cool to hear live.
A special shoutout to the band which featured several instruments, including a violin, cellist and extremely dedicated drummer.
The setlist was a carefully curated mix of hits from his previous albums and tracks from his latest masterpiece, Austin. “Wow” brought the bass, while “rockstar” and “Congratulations” turned the Outerfields into a giant singalong. Post Malone effortlessly blends genres, seamlessly moving from rap to rock, soulful ballads, bits of Bluegrass and metal-esqe growls. His musical versatility knows no bounds. I’m a sad song girlie, so I’m always delighted to hear ‘I Fall Apart’ live (we didn’t get ‘Cooped Up’ this time though!).
The guest appearance of Rachel, an excited fan, was unexpected but added new dimensions to the performance as she delivered an incredible acoustic guitar performance. A now smoking Postie was impressed, and they performed the track ‘Stay’. Just a casual Tuesday night for you then Rachel? We loved to see it. But wait, there’s more, Daniel – another fan, got pulled onstage because of his Post Malone back tattoo – an unwavering dedication to the man himself saw his tattoo signed live onstage to the backing vocals of a chanting crowd: ‘Daniel, Daniel, Daniel’.
Post Malone’s connection with audiences is genuine and down-to-earth. I had the pleasure of seeing him earlier on this year when he was last in Aotearoa, something he noted with appreciation that he could muster crowds twice in a single year. Between songs, he shared adorable anecdotes, gushed at our fandom and cracked a few jokes that had the entire arena in stitches. Don’t even get me started on his guitar strap that spells out ‘Stinky’. Mid show he did his signature ‘Shoey’ from what appeared to be a truly stinky shoe from the crowd. His initial review of the shoe, a 4, was upgraded to a 6 when stating “It had notes of oak and a little strawberry”… Bravery, truly apparent.
As the night drew to a close, Post Malone left the stage after an encore featuring ‘Sunflower’ and ‘Chemical’, echoes of his music lingered in the air. Still buzzing with energy, the crowd slowly made their way back to reality, buzzed and entertained on a Tuesday night at the Outerfields, by THE Post Malone.
Were you there at the Outer Fields for this beautiful genre-bending pop-rap show? Or have you seen Post Malone perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Better Now
- Wow.
- Zack and Codeine
- Psycho
- Goodbyes
- Hollywood Dreams / Comedown
- Mourning
- I Like You (A Happier Song)
- Jonestown (Interlude)
- Take What You Want
- Over Now
- rockstar
- Feeling Whitney
- Stay
- Overdrive
- I Fall Apart
- Wrapped Around Your Finger
- Circles
- Enough Is Enough
- Too Young
- White Iverson
- Congratulations
- Sunflower [encore]
- Chemical [encore]
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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