Post Malone indulged his typical theatrics during his show in Salt Lake City Monday night. He drank some alcohol, smoked a cigarette and performed all his classics (many of which include profanity).
But Post Malone didn’t do something that he probably should have, given that he was performing in Utah, the state in which he now lives. He didn’t lean into his Utah life. He barely mentioned it.
Had you not been paying attention, you might have missed his shoutout to Utah, and that’s disappointing.
Post Malone has become one of the biggest artists in the last decade, and he is only 24 years old. His reach is everywhere. His hit “Sunflower” ran the radio stations late last year, a song that headlined the soundtrack to the popular “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” film. His hits “White Iverson” and “Congratulations” are instant classics for radio listeners. There is rarely a time when you won’t hear his hits on the radio.
And to be fair, Malone is a talented performer. With a grizzled voice and heavy emotion, he lays into each lyric of his song, allowing listeners to feel the raw emotion radiating off of him. You can really feel who Post Malone is. You can really understand him and all the heartbreak, deception and pain he has suffered in his own life. His words are so relatable that you might be thinking of your own troubles, and what you’re going to do about them.
Post Malone’s latest album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” which was the focal point of Monday night’s concert, centered on a new wave of feelings for him. He admitted he was upset and worried about what the Hollywood lifestyle can do to people. He recounted on the album how the Hollywood music industry is full of sharks who want to take your blood, your money and your life.
That’s why he moved to Utah, in fact. As I outlined in a previous post for the Deseret News, Malone mentioned on the Spotify explanation of his album that he moved to the Beehive State to avoid the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. He went from the mean streets of Hollywood to the backwoods of Morgan County, Utah.
But you wouldn’t know it from his show — except for one moment. Malone, toward the end of his set, acknowledges that he is happy to be home in the Beehive State. He then flashes a U with his fingers — it’s unclear to this reporter whether or not that was a nod to the University of Utah or not — and has the crowd rocking.
Other than that, there is no sense of Utah.
Post Malone won’t be everyone’s cup of Swig in the Beehive State. He swears, he smokes, he drinks and he parties — many values that don’t align with the family-friendly nature of Utah.
But he also works hard, he believes in living your truth and embracing your freedom. He encourages everyone to be who they want to be, and to embrace their own lifestyle choices.
Post Malone has a lot to him that is Utah. Live your truth, be who you are and embrace the freedoms you want. Work hard and embrace your entrepreneurial spirit. Be who you are and never give up.
It would have only been better for Post Malone to embrace his Utah side, and really lean into it and prove that he is more than just a Hollywood artist.