Post Malone Shines During Nashville Concert, Welcoming Blake Shelton, Hardy & More to Preview Upcoming Album
Post Malone, a Grammy-nominated artist and purveyor of six No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits including his recent six-week chart leader “I Had Some Help” (featuring Morgan Wallen), teamed with Bud Light to throw an intimate-yet-rowdy Nashville party Tuesday (July 16) at Music City’s Marathon Music Works, where he previewed some songs from his upcoming country project, F-1 Trillion, which releases Aug. 16.
Posty delivered an evening of stories and songs that was dubbed “A Night in Nashville.” Clad in a ball cap, long-sleeve shirt and jeans, he sailed through a mix of hits such as “Sunflower” and “Circles,” but he also had some help in previewing some new songs from Blake Shelton, country-rock purveyor Hardy, country traditionalist Joe Nichols and Americana-bluegrass iconoclast Sierra Ferrell.
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Over the past several years, Post has tilted at his passion for country, including posting covers of country classics, making a top-notch appearance at country music festival Stagecoach earlier this year, and his earnest, engaging performance at the ACM Awards in May. His warm, honeyed voice leans squarely in a more traditional, ’80s and ’90s country-inspired lane and his genuine passion for the genre seems to have garnered Post plenty of support from his fellow artists.
“Cheers, motherf–kers!” Posty said, uttering an oft-repeated phrase throughout the evening, prompting the crowd to raise their cans of Bud Light high in the air.
Shelton, a 28-time Country Airplay chart-leader, joined Post for their new track “Pour Me a Drink.” Notably, Shelton’s wife, Gwen Stefani, was also in attendance, watching the show from just offstage.
“He’s a good buddy of mine and a really sweet man, and one of the most talented people I’ve had the honor of knowing,” Post Malone said, welcoming Shelton on stage.
“It’s a Post Malone world we’re living in!” Shelton said, with Post later teaming with the country star to perform the former Voice coach’s 2004 multi-week No. 1 Country Airplay hit “Some Beach.”
“Oh my god, nobody’s going to remember this song!” Shelton said, though the crowd swiftly proved him wrong, singing along passionately to the tune, with many pumping their fists at the tune’s signature turn of a phrase.
Calling her “possibly the best singer I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” he welcomed Ferrell on stage to offer up superb harmonies on “Never Love You Again,” the song Post previously performed solo on the ACM Awards in May. They then gave a rousing, light-hearted performance of the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash hit “Jackson.”
Hardy joined Post Malone onstage to debut a new song, “Would You Hide My Gun,” followed by a rollicking singalong to the late Joe Diffie’s “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die).” The two previously honored Diffie at last year’s CMA Awards, when they teamed with Wallen to perform Diffie’s “Pickup Man.”
Post went on to recall recalled how, in classic Nashville fashion, he first met Hardy and Wallen at Nashville haunt Loser’s before their CMA collaboration. Later in the show, Nichols teamed with Post for a rendition of the former’s 2002 song “Brokenheartsville.”
But Post had more new music for the crowd as well. He performed a stirring new song titled “Yours,” which he said was inspired by his 2-year-old daughter and the thought that though she might one day choose to walk down the aisle and get married, she’ll always have her father’s heart.
He also thanked the crowd of fans for their faith in his music, noting he faced some harsh criticism early in his career.
“They called me a one-hit wonder,” he said. “Thank you to each of you tonight for your love and support–it’s been 10 f–king years,” he said, eliciting cheers from the audience before he offered the crowd his own bit of encouragement. “There may be people who feel not as loved as they are — you are loved more than you f–king know. I love you so much and there are so many people who love you. Do whatever you want to do in this life and world, and trust yourself.”
He then launched into a solo rendition of his 2017 hit Quavo collab “Congratulations.”
Post ended the evening with “I Had Some Help,” his six-week Hot 100-topping collaboration with Wallen. While the “Last Night” singer was not in attendance, Post had plenty of help from the packed audience at Marathon Music Works, who raised Bud Light cans high, cheered, swayed and sang along with every word.
He repaid the help in kind, ending the show by jumping down off the stage to shake hands, trade hugs and take pictures with several people in the front row. It’s the kind of intentionality in making direct, one-on-one fan connections that have, over the years, helped accelerate and sustain careers of artists such as Garth Brooks, a pre-pop-ascendant Taylor Swift and Lainey Wilson, the reigning ACM and CMA entertainer of the year.
In June, Post Malone did another intimate Nashville show, at the Bluebird Cafe. That show was geared toward Nashville’s music industry, welcoming top songwriter Ashley Gorley, Wilson and guest Ernest. With both country music fans and within the Nashville industry, Malone seems intent on putting in the work and making the connections.
Bud Light will also be the official beer sponsor of Post Malone’s upcoming F-1 Trillion tour this fall, which launches in September and runs through October, ending with a show at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Oct. 19.
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