Post Malone finished up his second night at Manchester’s AO Arena on Wednesday evening, which The Manc had the pleasure of going along to, and believe us when we tell you we weren’t prepared to have sucha special time.
Austin Richard Post, as he casually introduced himself to the audience, has been on the scene for over a decade now, releasing his first-ever single ‘White Iverson’ back in 2015 — the track that launched his career and has seen fans falling deeper and deeper in love with him over the years.
Even from the start and his debut album, Stoney, Post Malone‘s extremely palatable brand of rap, pop and R&B has meant that he’s never been just one thing or the other and that became abundantly clear the second he walked out on stage.
His entrance alone proved that still had gears we didn’t expect, opening the show with an atmospheric and suspense-building arrangement of ‘Reputation’ as massive spiralling lights, smoke and phone torches filled the room, before exploding almost demonically into ‘Wow.’ and kicking the show into fifth.
Just two songs in and we were already pretty mesmerised — the set design by creative director, Lewis James, alone a seriously impressive spectacle — then came what felt like the most relentless barrage of bangers, playing ‘Better Now’, ‘Psycho’, ‘Candy Paint’ and ‘I Fall Apart’ all back-to-back.
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We even got to hear him do ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’ minus Doja Cat’s part, mind, but thankfully with the bonus of that wholesome little dance you might have seen him do on TikTok. If you know you know.
And ‘happier’ couldn’t have summed up the show any better: with each song, every single person in the room seemed twice as stoked as they were on the previous one, with the screams as he dropped the next track only getting louder as then show went on.
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Even when he slowed things down and got out his guitar to do acoustics like ‘Lemon Tree’ and ‘Stay’, it felt like one big sing-song around a campfire — you know, if the fire had 20,000 round it and was spitting out of pyros on stage. Then, of course, he swiftly reminded us he was a literal ‘rockstar’ and smashed up his guitar, something that always kind of frustrates but looks undeniably fun.
It was at this point we realised this guy isn’t just a rapper most people have heard on the radio anymore — he hasn’t been that for a long time: he’s a generational, genre-bending talent and an absolute god to his die-hards and we almost felt stupid for not realising just how good he was earlier.
Chants of ‘Posty, Posty!’ began ringing around the AO Arena between songs and the 27-year-old would simply soak it in and do another chuffed little dance every time. Everyone in there was enjoying themselves and so was he — him even more than us, to be fair.
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One of the lasting things we took away from the show, however, was just sincere and positive Post Malone comes across not just as an artist but as a bloke in general. We say it like we know him personally but that was kind of how the whole thing felt, like he was just up there being himself and we happened to be watching.
He stopped to savour the moment and tell the crowd how much he loved them at regular intervals, how much he’d missed being over in the UK and urging people to appreciate and look after each other. Then there was his speech about fatherhood, which had both him and most people watching on in tears.
The whole thing experience wasn’t just “the best party in the world” that night, to quote support act Rae Sremmurd (one the best and most enthusiastic we’ve seen in a long time, by the way), but it was just so positive — even Sremmurd’s Swae Lee was telling fans to grab their best mate and enjoy every second.
His time on stage with Posty for ‘Sunflower’ was a great moment too, one that pretty much encapsulated the entire night: a bunch of people singing and dancing their heads off to so many hits that you almost didn’t realise just how much quality music the man has put out.
As the show drew towards a close we got his latest single ‘Chemical’ — a lovely poppy little number which gives an idea of what his newly announced album, Austin, might sound like — as well as firm-favourite ‘Congratulations’, which feels like a lifetime ago but is still the perfect self-affirmation all these years later.
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That being said, it was only fitting that he ended with the track that started it all off, serenading the Arena with ‘White Iverson’ as they held aloft their drinks and swayed back and forth to what remains one of the most chill tunes he’s ever made. The song might be but we left with none.
Post Malone in Manchester night two confirmed one thing: we are now Posty stans for life.
Featured Image — Post Malone (via Instagram)/The Manc Group
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Manchester’s Barton Aerodrome announces huge line-up of outdoor gigs including McFly, JLS and UB40
Daisy Jackson
Three new shows have been announced for an open-air gig series at Barton Aerodrome this summer.
Barton LIVE has today confirmed that McFly, JLS and UB40 will be taking to the stage, where the backdrop will be the bustling runway of Barton Airport.
The summer series also includes performances from The Jacksons Live, 90s Baby Festival, and Boogietown North.
Barton LIVE’s summer series takes place at one of the country’s most unique and exhilarating settings at Barton Aerodrome, where the worlds of music and aviation come together.
The three new shows that have just been announced kick off with McFly on Thursday 12 September.
The pop-rockers, famed for their hits like Five Colours In Her Hair, All About You and Obviously, will take centre stage with a typically high-energy performance.
Then on Saturday 14 September, the stage will be given over to British boy band royalty JLS, whose chart-topping hits include Beat Again, Everybody in Love, and She Makes Me Wanna.
Their signature blend of R&B, pop, soul and silky-smooth vocals will be part of Barton LIVE’s star-studded end-of-summer line-up.
Finally, on Sunday 15 September, legendary reggae band UB40 featuring Ali Campbell will perform.
They’ll be whisking audiences away to the warm and vibrant Caribbean through their iconic reggae rhythms and songs like Red Red Wine, Can’t Help Falling in Love, and Kingston Town.
Tickets for McFly, JLS and UB40 featuring Ali Campbell at Barton LIVE will be available on Friday 26 April at 9am. Sign up for tickets via www.bartonlive.co.uk
Over the course of the summer, the stage at Barton Aerodrome will welcome the likes of Ronan Keating, The Jacksons, Peter Andre, Blue, Eternal, Sister Sledge Ft Kathy Sledge, Soul II Soul, Boney M and many more.
Barton LIVE line-up in full for outdoor gig series at Barton Aerodrome
Friday 19July – The Jacksons LIVE (The Jacksons, Kenny Thomas, Soul Boutique Collective) – tickets £39.50 plus booking fee via Skiddle here.
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July – 90s Baby Festival (Ronan Keating, Eternal, Peter Andre, Blue, Five, A1, Scott Mills, 911, Sonique, Blazin Squad, Dave Pearce, Phats & Small, N-Trance, Happy Clappers Ft Sandra Edwards, Baby D, Alison Limerick, Ultrabeat, JX, Livin Joy Ft Luzahnn, Urban Cookie Collective, Nick Coulson + support) – tickets £39.50 from Skiddle here.
Saturday 27 July – Boogietown North (Sister Sledge Ft Kathy Sledge, Soul II Soul, Tunde Of Lighthouse Family, Boney M, Trevor Nelson, Craig Charles, Gina Breeze, Supernatire Disco, Nick Coulson) – tickets £39.50 from Skiddle here.
Thursday 12 September – McFly – tickets £44.50 plus booking fee, on sale Friday 26 April at 9am. Sign up via bartonlive.co.uk
Saturday 14 September – JLS – tickets £49.50 plus booking fee, on sale Friday 26 April at 9am. Sign up via bartonlive.co.uk
Sunday 15 September – UB40 featuring Ali Cambell, tickets £39.50 plus booking fee, on sale Friday 26 April at 9am. Sign up via bartonlive.co.uk
Featured image: Supplied
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Peter Kay’s gigs at Co-op Live have been postponed as the arena admits it’s not ready for opening act
Danny Jones
Just a day before the venue was set to welcome its very first act, Co-op Live has announced that arena opener Peter Kay’s gigs have unfortunately been cancelledand postponed until later this month.
Both of Peter Kay‘s highly-anticipated shows have ultimately had to be called off after Co-op Live revealed that the brand-new entertainment venue is simply not ready to welcome guests just yet, with work still to be completed on key areas of the building, namely power supply issues.
Issuing a regretful statement on social media, the arena has confirmed that the shows will now be rescheduled to Monday and Tuesday, 29-30 April.
Addressing the situation online, Co-op Live said: “Following our first test event on Saturday, regretfully we have made the difficult decision to reschedule our two opening performances by Peter Kay…
“It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind. Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly.
“This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size. Peter Kay has very graciously agreed to perform his record-breaking comedy at Co-op Live on 29 (rescheduled from 23) and 30 (rescheduled from 24) April 2024.
“All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend. We are very sorry for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause for some.” Safe to say many of those looking forward to the show have been left frustrated.
Speaking to The Manc, a Stockport gig-goer who had tickets said they had to find out via social media and that her group had still received no email notifying them about the cancellation, adding, “We just logged into the app to find the date on our tickets had been changed to next Monday”.
As for the beloved Bolton-born stand-up and British comedy legend himself, Kay added: “I’m truly gutted as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets, but obviously it’s a brand-new venue and it’s important that everything is finished and safe for full capacity audiences.
“Fortunately, we’ve been able to reschedule the shows to next week, (I’ll have to miss my Bums & Tums class) but hopefully I’ll see you then.”
The venue also went on to assure that they will still be hosting The Black Keys on 27 April in the lower bowl with 10k fans as planned and will continue to test the resilience of the venue and its operations for the time being.
They also reminded fans who previously missed out on tickets that due to dates being moved, tickets may now become available.