Post Malone performs with fan and signs tattoo at Blockbuster show

Review: You know how people say, “You just had to be there”? If you didn’t see Post Malone perform at Auckland’s Outerfields on Tuesday night, you missed a spectacular mid-week performance.

The evening sky was overcast, and clouds were blowing among the spectators, but only a light rain threatened to spoil the good time among the patrons.

Make no mistake, filling Outerfields is an impressive feat – the venue will host the Laneway festival next year, and will see 2000s rockers My Chemical Romance in May and hometown heroes Lorde in March. Coming here feels like summer has kissed your cheek; The music festival season is just about to begin.

To build anticipation for the Utah-native, the crowd is treated to a beautiful orchestral opening that includes a violinist, cellist and other string players.

They’re joined by Post Malone’s rock band – guitars, bass, drums, keys – and everything is an explosion of joyous sound. It reminds you that all music (yes, even the chart toppers that your boomer uncle dismisses as “not real music”) is purely a celebration of the joy of sound, to be enjoyed. is shared with the world.

When Post Malone comes on stage, he is greeted with “Posty!” It is performed in chorus. Posty! Posty!”, then introduces Better Now with thick, heavy metal-esque vocals and sky-lighting pyrotechnics.

He launches into Wow, Zack and Codeine, and Psycho, and there’s nothing that can quell the excitement within the crowd – not even the chaotic grunts of the guy standing next to this reviewer, who either Was undergoing some kind of spiritual possession, or may have consumed divine amounts of illegal substances.

Posty created a shoe to the applause of the audience, noting that he could taste a hint of oak within his sneaker-turned-gauntlet. In the crowd, a patron has a different suggestion: “It probably tastes like a fungal infection.”

The best part of the show was when a fan in the post audience brought Rachel on stage to perform with her.

He passes her the microphone, but before she can say anything, everything else is interrupted by the crowd’s enthusiastic chorus of “Rachel!” gets buried in. Rachel! Rachel!

Together, Postie and Rachel create magic by performing Stay, Rachel making the act of playing guitar for an audience of thousands seem like your bog-standard Tuesday activity. This will be a very awkward conversation tomorrow.

There’s another surprise guest: Daniel, who was pulled from the crowd onto the stage for his impressive Post Malone back tattoo.

Daniel is clearly having the time of his life and has got his tattoo signed by the rapper himself. Hugging, “Daniel!” Slogans are being raised. Daniel!”, and the man himself disappears, of course about to take out his phone and search for the nearest 24/7 tattoo parlor to get Postie’s handwriting inscribed on his skin as well as his face .

There’s no doubt that Posty has the charisma and stage presence of nearly a dozen artists. He generously says “Thanks guys! I love you so much!” After almost every song, he dances with the audience and continues to perform with relentless energy throughout.

It’s even better that she has the talent to do it all: When performing Feeling Whitney, the crowd erupts in excitement while Posty delivers catharsis. In another life, he might have been a bluegrass singer.

Closing the show with White Iverson and Congratulations, then an encore performance of Sunflowers and Chemical, the rapper couldn’t be blamed for doing exactly what he came here to do: put on a good show, and as a person Strengthen the audience’s confidence they admire and love.

For Rachel, the dream of performing with an idol, for Daniel, a new tattoo with a great backstory (literally), and for this reviewer, an emotionally strong experience to forget the pain of heartbreak. Opportunity to do.