Photo Credit: Allen Halas
Post Malone
Whether he fully embraces it or not, Post Malone is no longer merely living like a rockstar. He is one. On Thursday night at Fiserv Forum, that was ever apparent, as a nearly sold out crowd screamed and sang with every move while he traversed a stage that encompassed half of the arena floor.
On just the fourth night of a 38-show tour, his first since the pandemic began, Malone told the crowd that he “felt like shit already.” He would also apologize repeatedly for his voice being strained, and there were plastic cups with what one could assume might have been water, or perhaps something harder to fight the pain, at each of the six stations along the stage’s pitchfork design. Whatever was ailing him didn’t really seem to affect his vocals, however, and definitely did not waver the crowd from being more than enthusiastic throughout a roughly 90-minute set. Much of Malone’s material is about emotional pain, in which case it would behoove him to emphasize any sort of ailment. By the end of the night, though, his voice would start to audibly strain, getting assistance from the crowd on “Sunflower.”
Photo Credit: Allen Halas
Post Malone
Following the dramatic entrance of “Reputation,” the headlining set started hot, and would gradually slow down into Malone’s wheelhouse. A number of his hits, including the pyrotechnics-assisted “Wow.” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” kept the energy up in the arena at the top of the show, before an divulgence into more emo material. “I Fall Apart” was the first slower track to slow the tempo down, and only that would close out roughly the first third of the show. For every emotional track, though, there was a more pop-oriented single to follow, never in danger of losing the crowd. If all else failed, flames shooting from the stage or the raising and lowering light towers would create their own spectacle to keep fans invested.
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While he may have been battling some vocal issues, there was only one true stoppage in the hour and a half of music. A brief pause where the arena went dark didn’t hinder anything, though, as fans would chant Malone’s name in the darkness before re-emerging for smash “Rockstar.” The night would end on a trio of big songs, with “One Right Now,” “Congratulations,” and “White Iverson” finishing the show. Before the closer, Malone would mention that he couldn’t leave without playing his “one good song,” in a sentiment that everyone inside Fiserv Forum would agree was a lie.
Photo Credit: Allen Halas
Roddy Ricch
Opener Roddy Ricch, who would normally not be relegated to that role, was the first to get fans out of their seats. With fairly minimal stage production, Ricch wandered about the pathways of the layout to greet fans and rifle through material from his pair of albums and TikTok-friendly singles. In about 40 minutes of music, he would pick and choose his spots to get the crowd excited, but also find time to have a bit more substance to what he was doing on stage. In particular, 2018 track “Die Young” held more weight in the wake of the recent murder of rapper PnB Rock, and was accompanied by a video screen tribute to not only rappers that were gone way too soon, but also victims of police brutality. Ricch did an expert job of weaving those moments in with his more club-friendly songs, culminating in breakout hit “The Box.” Ricch would also make an appearance later in the night with Post Malone for “Cooped Up,” while donning tour merchandise under his many chains.
The night could ultimately be chalked up as a master class in holding the attention of a generation that has increasingly less of it. Just over two hours of music could have easily fallen off for fans that live on one-minute videos daily, but Post Malone and Roddy Ricch made that timeframe breeze by, captivating an audience along the way.
