Live Review: Post Malone, Jaden Smith

Austin Richard Post seems like an unassuming name but under his moniker of Post Malone, the 23-year-old hip hop/pop artist is reaching for idol status as he tore it up on the first stop of his Australian tour. “It feels so good to be back in Australia and I’m ready to fuck it up!” he said in front of a near sold-out crowd at RAC Arena, where he delivered a bumping concert that pleased the masses but ultimately lacked substance.

Supported by Jaden Smith, the even younger artist set it up for Post, riling up the Gen Z crowd before the tattooed singer/songwriter/rapper/producer came out on stage clutching a red cup of liquor and dressed in a white tracksuit emblazoned with the Aussie flag that looked like it had been salvaged from an Ed Hardy bargain bin. The product of a generation that has grown up in the age of social media, streaming and immediate gratification, Post has been criticised for being simplistic but you can’t argue his impact or his swag of hits. From opener Too Young the floor of the arena became a surging, bouncing mass all focused on the solitary figure on the runway stage.

Beerbongs & Bentleys, the album that last year threatened to break streaming services, provided much fodder with the singalong Better Now, Over Now, Candy Paint and Sugar Wraith. Labelled a genre-bender, Post’s style is actually reflective beats and whatever hook serves the song and rather than picking one lane, he swerves lazily across several with red cup in hand. Given his predilection for hooky intros and repetitive structure, it didn’t lend the setlist any light and shade.

However, when Post slung on his guitar for Stay, it was a welcome change to the vibe of the concert. A sweet ballad that finally allowed the crowd actually hear the artist's surprisingly warm voice. Yet a soon as the song was over, it was back to the hits including White Iverson, which he introduced as his only good song. Sunflower gave the lighting guy an opportunity glow up the arena in yellow and orange and Rockstar had everyone on their feet rhyming along.

Post Malone is clearly more than a phenomenon, perhaps his song Go Flex explains it. In an era when it’s all about the immediacy of fame and getting yours, maybe being a culture vulture is all just part of the hustle. Closing out with flashy pyrotechnics and Congratulations, Post announced his arrival in Australia - no longer as a meme but a bonafide star.