Concert Review: Post Malone – Spark Arena, May 11, 2019

Post Malone, Jaden Smith, and Tyla Yaweh poured three hours of trap-R&B-hip-hop angst into Spark Arena last night, putting floor-shaking bass and showmanship above all else.

I’m fascinated by Post Malone. The southern drawl, the cloud-rap haze to his vocals, a festering rage that permeates through many of his lyrics and much of his music. Last night’s performance at Spark Arena by Malone and his support acts brought just as much angst and rage as you’d expect, but unfortunately drowned under a sea of arena-shaking bass.

The sound-mixing issues became almost immediately apparent as DJ E-Nice (with a neon @DJENICE1 on the gigantic screens behind him) took to the stage first, toeing the line between opening act and opening MC but not really hitting the mark on either. Perhaps because he chose to forego headphones and instead worked from a MacBook and digital turntables, every few minutes of a blown-out-bass rap song would be interrupted by E-Nice taking the microphone to try and energise the crowd.

The crowd heard Lil John, Ludacris, and Nelly within the space of about 45 seconds, which is the sort of catchy compilation that can quickly turn a DJ set into The Wiggles but for teens in hoodies. We saw horrendous scratching, completely out-of-sync mixing, and maybe the worst EQ balance across songs possible – yet a packed, pumping arena was screaming for more.

But then, that’s what much of the concert seemed to be about; musicians focusing on showmanship and their unique style of crowd connection and inspiration, rather than the clarity or precision of music. This was soon confirmed by Tyla Yaweh, bursting onto the stage with a heart full of rage and a set where every song ended with the sound of a muted explosion. Drink a lot. Check. Smoke a lot of weed. Check. Don’t let anybody tell you what to do. Check.

Jaden Smith followed shortly afterward, with a short set that felt more like a live, autotuned music video. We saw Smith in Japan, as Batman, in The Wild West, and always in a highly stylised video with an outrageous car. It was, again, impossible to tell which parts were performed and which parts recorded due to the amount of autotune and the wall of bass throughout every song.

A gig that focuses on wild, aimless energy often suffers from dragging lulls between sets – thankfully, Post Malone was quick to the stage, and much of the set-up work paid off. Malone emerged to Broken Whiskey Glass and Too Young, as the Spark Arena stage separated vertically, flooding the area with neon lights, smoke, fireworks, and pyrotechnics.

There were some musical highlights to the set – the steel-stringed acoustic of Stay was exceptional, and closers Rockstar and Congratulations felt like a well-directed expression of all the angst and rage built up to the point throughout the night. There was a heavier focus overall on the hip-hop and trap-beat sound of Malone’s newer music, and an absence of his softer – but more painful – sound that was hinted at in Stay.

But then, I feel as though this was a gig where judging the music was secondary to judging the performance. I remember clearly the angst of being a teenager, the frustration of being told you’re not good enough or that you can’t do something, of feeling lost in a strange world – and these are performers who are clearly idolised and looked up to as supportive figures in that world.

Did they spend an egregious amount of time talking about partying, getting drunk, smoking weed and chasing money? Of course, but those are the hooks of modern pop and rap music, and were thankfully sterilised with motivational and supportive calls for friendship, support, and forgiveness. In the end, with a burst of fireworks, towering stage pyrotechnics, and an acoustic guitar smashed to pieces on the stage, it felt like everyone had exhausted their angst, leaving only the memory of an often-charming, always-humble, and very entertaining performer.

Oxford Lamoureaux

Post Malone performs again tonight at Auckland’s Spark Arena. There are limited tickets still available. 

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Rachel Webb:

 

Post Malone Setlist:

 

Broken Whiskey Glass

Too Young

Over Now

Better Now

92 Explorer

Candy Paint

Wow

Psycho

Paranoid

I Fall Apart

Up There

Stay (Acoustic)

Go Flex

White Iverson

Sunflower

Rockstar

Congratulations