At 10:20 p.m. on Dec. 31, the sold-out crowd at Las Vegas’ newest venue the BleauLive Theater At Fontainebleau started to chant: “Posty! Posty!”
The audience was so encouraging that, as a result of its efforts, the superstar emerged soon after – ahead of the scheduled 10:30 start time – to begin his hits-filled New Year’s Eve show.
As one of the first artists to headline the relatively intimate, 3,800-capacity space (after 16 years of star-and-stop delays, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas celebrated its long-awaited grand opening in mid-December) – Post Malone made sure to deliver.
As expected, Posty – wearing jorts and a zebra print top – walked on stage with a red Solo cup in hand, which he promptly tossed into the crowd. The 90-minute set that followed included staples from his signature, vibe-based dance moves and a special guest appearance from one lucky fan, to loads of sparklers and pyro. And come midnight, a confetti cannon helped ring in the new year.
“It’s f—ing New Year’s Eve!” exclaimed Post after warming up with hits including “Better Now” and “Wow.” He then told the crowd he came to Vegas with “the most beautiful musicians in the world,” including a string quartet that helped bring his songs, especially those off his latest album Austin, to life.
“I just wanted to say how f—ing beautiful and how f—ing special it is to have everybody come out,” he continued. “Let’s kick this new year off bitchin’.”
And thanks to the below moments, Post, along with his thousands of fans in attendance, made sure to do just that.
-
The Ease Of It All
Attending almost anything on New Year’s Eve comes with a side of stress — but there was a pleasantly surprising ease surrounding Post’s headlining show. Entering the venue was quick — and for those who were coming from elsewhere in the resort, drinks were transferred to plastic cups and waved on in. And for those who opted for a general admission ticket to the floor (as opposed to the multi-level tiered seating) there didn’t seem to be a bad view — or a space that felt too tight.
-
A Surprising Setlist Addition
Early into the night, Post decided to toss a cover song into his setlist. And while longtime fans may have suspected a Bob Dylan classic – given Post’s first YouTube video in which he covers “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” – he threw a curveball. “A long time ago I did a Fleetwood Mac cover…” teased Posty, who then delivered his own rendition of the band’s hit “Dreams.”
-
An Acoustic Sing-Along
While an acoustic segment is a standard – and standout – part of any Post Malone show, the sing-along that took place during “Feeling Whitney” felt particularly special as the clock crept closer to midnight. As Post ad-libbed a “1, 2, 3, 4” to count the crowd in, hearing nearly four thousand voices croon together (during the series of “oohs” in the song) created a sense of togetherness – and highlighted the rarity of seeing a star like Post in a space like this.
-
A Special Guest Appearance
As always, about halfway through the set Post searched the audience for a fan to bring onstage to accompany him on guitar for “Stay.” And while this tradition has become an integral part of his show, Post was surprised to learn the fan he selected – a man named Mike – had actually done this before. As Mike slung Post’s guitar – with a strap that reads “Stinky” – over his shoulder and lit a cigarette, the two started their duet. By the end of the song, Mike didn’t just leave with a core memory, but also Post’s beer – and a few guitar picks he plucked right off the mic stand. “Sure, you can take those,” laughed Post, who then asked if he could get another “brewski” brought out.
-
Posty’s Quick Reflection
“I’m 28 now… I’ve been doing this for almost 10 years,” said Post, gearing up to introduce “Too Young,” which he said he wrote when he was just 18. “This next song rings more true now that I’m a dad…Celebrate life as hard as you can, live life to the f—ing fullest.”
-
And His Year-End Message
“Ladies and gentleman, it seems like a lot of the time when you look around in the world it feels like there’s not a lot of love,” started Post, “and I just wanted to say to each and every single one of y’all crazy mother f—ers, I love y’all so much…and there’s a lot of familiar, beautiful faces and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend the New Years with than my fans and family. We live in some crazy f—ing times and I wanted to say congratu-f—ing-lations for making it to 2024. Thank you for giving me hope every day – y’all saved my life.” He fittingly then performed his hit “Congratulations” before telling the crowd, “I’ll see y’all f—ers next year.”
-
The Perfectly Imperfect Countdown
As it turns out, Post reemerged just before the new year to help count it down. After performing “Sunflower,” Post looked offstage and asked, ““Oh f–k, how long do we have? Does anybody want to come and do stand-up for like, three minutes?”
Once more, Post scanned the crowd looking for another lucky fan to bring on stage. But after finding one, the teen confessed: “I’m not a comedian…I just wanted to meet you.” To which Post replied, “You can just roast me for two minutes.” Instead, Post encouraged his dad Rich to come to the rescue, assuring the crowd “he tells [jokes] every night at dinner.”
Yet still, a minute remained. Post, calm and collected as ever, asked who was celebrating a birthday in the crowd and led everyone through a quick “Happy Birthday” before he and his dad then realized they had riffed too long and joined the countdown from six. As Post hugged his dad, pink confetti cannons burst into the air. “Can I play y’all the first s—-y song you’ll hear this year?” asked Post, who then delivered set-closer “Chemical.”
“Thank you for spending this evening with me,” concluded Post. “I hope whatever you set out to accomplish you all achieve and just bust your ass and keep being amazing and keep spreading love, ladies and gentlemen. I love y’all so f—ing much.”
This story originally appeared on Billboard
