Live Review: Post Malone, Jaden Smith, Tyla Yaweh

Hordes of post-teens in scuffed acid-wash denim, timberlands and hoodies surge through the immensely long bag-check lines at Rod Laver for the 7pm-sharp start tonight, with Post Malone’s recent label signee Tyla Yaweh already midway through his set by the time most get in. The Florida native has been on tour with Malone through 2019, racking up millions of streams and gaining clout in the rollout of his debut LP, Heart Full Of Rage. What he lacks tonight in a diverse set or subtlety he makes up for with affable energy and chirpy charisma. Slip-ups mid dance might shake a more pessimistic performer, but Yaweh falls with grace. Tour mates force a complementary shoey down his throat in response. Stay lit, fam.

What more could possibly be said about the next up-and-comer that hasn’t already been said by... Jaden Smith himself? His set tonight is a barrage of depth-defying bass, rap triplets, LA-found fashion footage and unbreakable positivity. Sometimes ironic, sometimes heartfelt, and constantly overstimulating, it was hard to tell at times intellectually or spiritually what to focus on within the frenetic patchwork of his songs and performance.

Jaden Smith. Photos by Clinton Hatfield.

Songs segue into each other without a gasp of air, and the crowd seems to struggle to differentiate one song sonically from another. Hyper-driven graphics of a suspended Smith thrashing at a guitar engulf the lukewarm crowd but Smith ploughs through unperturbed and unfazed. This is not to say his set wasn’t entertaining - it was a dadaist’s dream and a real experience. Set closer and clear crowd favourite Icon works a treat, with Smith screaming one final hype for the headliner.

Shoeys seem to be a running theme for tonight, and no one chugs one with more feverish aplomb than pop music’s rap avatar, Post Malone. We’re only the second song into his hour-and-a-half set and a fan's black sneaker has already been tossed on stage. Immediately apparent in our headliner's set is the production value – ruthless lasers, an impenetrable haze of smoke, backlit flamethrowers and a descending central stage create one of the most high quality sets at Rod Laver in memory. Malone has enjoyed a gold rush of hits in regular succession since his debut breakout White Iverson and they’re sprinkled throughout the show. Crowd favourite Better Now crashes into the labyrinthine Wow and through Psycho, which Malone proclaims is “about having a cool shiny watch”.

Post Malone. Photos by Clinton Hatfield

There are some truly touching down-tempo mid-set moments, like Malone donning his beer-stained guitar for a heart-warming, stripped-back version of 2018’s Beerbongs & Bentleys cut Stay, and Stoney’s Up There, which teleports the crowd into prismatic, hot-boxed oases with viperous blue streams of lasers. Malone made his name on the type of methamphetamine-level earworms that leave you consumed for days, but these shows of versatility tonight prove his staying power. Hazy singalongs are as natural here as his idiosyncratic flow, and the crowd indulge his every whim, smashing through Sunflower, the chart-topping Rockstar and Congratulations to close out the night with ear-shattering pyrotechnics. It's Malone’s commitment to individuality and fun that will hopefully leave the biggest mark on the pastel flannel-clad attendants' tonight, and in 2019 of all years, that’s bloody worth toasting to. The rockstar lives on.