Post Malone review: ‘An entertainer, who is a master of all trades’

Much has changed for the 30-year-old since he last performed three sold-out nights at London’s O2 Arena back in May 2023; with the release of ‘Austin’ in 2023, Post Malone transitioned from rap to synth-pop and rock before later covering Nirvana hits with Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, and Pat Smear and embracing country with the release of ‘F-1 Trillion’ in 2024, which has seen him reach stadium-headlining status.

Such is Austin Post’s ability to seamlessly evolve sonically and transition between genres; he’s collaborated with artists such as Morgan Wallen on the chart-topping hit ‘I Had Some Help’, Taylor Swift on the Grammy-nominated ‘Fortnight’ and Beyoncé on ‘LEVI’S JEANS’ to huge success over the past year. As evidenced by his sonic evolution from ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’ to the aforementioned ‘F-1 Trillion’, he’s mastered the art of reinventing himself and evolving his sound in the way legends like David Bowie, Radiohead, Madonna, The Beatles and Swift herself did, to name a few.

Throughout his career, Post has always come across as one of the warmest, most charismatic, coolest and nicest souls you could meet. The 30-year-old wears his heart on his sleeve at every moment, yet remains casual and laid-back, lighting up cigarettes and knocking down beers with regularity. Having been discovered for posting ‘White Iverson’ on SoundCloud in 2015 and initially learning the guitar through GuitarHero, Malone is a bloke living his biggest dream, and his gratitude for the 70,000 in attendance was evident.

From thanking the crowd for “sharing and offering me your heart” to telling the “ladies and gentlemen” in the audience that they are “loved more than you could know”, Post is forever the conversationalist and a perfect cheerleader for the audience, encouraging them to pursue their dreams with regularity. Most importantly, he is an entertainer who is a master of all trades, chasing anthemic moments with his hook-laden anthems, and his ‘Big Ass World Tour’ provides plentiful scope for his genre-blending approach to shine.

And from the opening verse, Malone’s performance was a breathtaking thrill ride unlike any other. Donning an Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt, the 30-year-old made a dramatic entrance as balls of fire and a barrage of fireworks filled the London skyline before Post launched into the opening notes of ‘Texas Tea’ to an electric response from the 70,000 in attendance.

The hits came thick and fast in the opening interval as Malone transitioned through eras seamlessly, launching into ‘Wow’, the Posty classic ‘Better Now’ from ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys’ and the twangy guitar-infused ‘Wrong Ones’, which saw one of Post’s backing guitarists break off into a thrilling solo. The emotion of Malone paying tribute to Osbourne with a performance of ‘Take What You Want’, which saw visuals of the late singer plastered on the big screens and culminated with the 30-year-old hailing the Black Sabbath vocalist for “changing my life for the better”, provided the rawest of moments on the evening.

Nonetheless, as the evening unfolded, Malone unleashed an eclectic mix of hits as he launched into a stripped-back, acoustic-led version of ‘Feeling Whitney’ before inviting a fan to perform an acoustic-driven ‘Stay’ to a rapturous ovation. Typically rap-infused tracks such as ‘Psycho’ and ‘Rockstar’ felt particularly rock-y in a live setting as the sound of big, distorted guitars and punchy drums reverberated around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As the evening came to an end, a punchy rendition of ‘Congratulations’ performed with Post hoisted above the audience inside a glass box closed out the evening in thrilling fashion, with Malone delivering one last message encouraging the fans to follow their respective dreams.