Over the past year, Post Malone has embedded himself in Nashville's country music circles, co-writing and recording songs with numerous artists, writers, producers and musicians in Music City for his upcoming debut country album, F-1 Trisis released on Friday (August 16).
But on Wednesday night (Aug. 14), he was welcomed to the most famous of those circles — the six-foot hardwood circle, originally part of the Ryman Auditorium stage, and now standing in the middle of the stage at The Grand Ole Opry. House in Nashville as Post Malone made his Grand Ole Opry debut — and yes, he had some help.
Quite a few, actually.
Post Malone's 18-song F-1 Tris The project is filled with collaborations with artists such as Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Morgan Wallen, ERNEST and Lainey Wilson.
Triple threat singer-songwriter-guitarist Paisley, a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, took the stage first with a warm introduction.
“He's got a country heart and he's somebody who's steeped in the Nashville way,” Paisley said, adding a challenge: “But you're not a country singer until you play this,” Paisley said. He then welcomed Posty, who drew a standing ovation as he walked on stage and entered the famous circle, in the process of becoming part of the ongoing legacy of the longest-running radio show in history.
“What's going on in Nashville? My name is Austin Richard Post and I'm here to play some songs tonight with some really amazing people and I'm honored to call them friends,” six-time Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Malone told the crowd as he entered Paisley.
“I'm horrified and honored to be at this exact point. My mom is here tonight. Brad I remember going to see you [perform] when I was six. I wanted to say how incredibly grateful and excited I am that you brought me out tonight and I appreciate you.”
From there, the evening — hosted by WSM Radio's Kelly Sutton — was a heartwarming mix of music and friendship. It was fellow Opry member Vince Gill who joined the Postys for the first song, a cover of their 1993 hit “One More Last Chance,” with Paisley also providing some smooth guitar riffs.
Post Malone, dressed in jeans, a white shirt, blue blazer and cowboy hat, displayed a self-deprecating sense of humor, laughing early in the evening, “I was going like K-Mart George Strait [look]”, prompting laughter from the audience.
He also noted, “how nice it is to rock out to people I've been listening to all my life,” before welcoming John Michael Montgomery to join him on Montgomery's 1994 hit “Be My Baby Tonight,” trading high-octane verses and mixing their voices in chorus.
“I'm going through the craziest time of my life,” Malone said, clearly taking in the experience. He added, “We've been here in Nashville for a few months, like six or seven months, and I've made so many beautiful friends along the way. It's a great honor to be able to work with my friends.” He then welcomed reigning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year Wilson, who was inducted as a member of the Opry in June.
“Her heart is bigger than her hat,” he quipped, adding, “What a special night.”
They debuted a song from F-1 Tris it's called 'Nosedive' to find the beauty in painful moments. The heartfelt ballad drew cheers from the crowd and marked one of the most tender moments of the night.
“Welcome to country music, Post Malone. We are glad to have you!” Wilson said before exiting the stage. Paisley then returned to debut another new one F-1 Tris track, their collaboration 'Goes Without Saying'.
“I'm honored to be on your album. This is one of my favorite records I've ever cut,” Paisley said, before teasing, “We're going to mess this up. We've played it once.”
“Watching Brad grow up, I was always bothered by someone who could play guitar like that,” Posti told the crowd, before telling Paisley, “You're the greatest living guitar player on the planet and I'm honored to call you my friend. Sir”.
From there, Malone delved into a slice of country-meets-'70s soul with “California Sober” — a song from the new album featuring Chris Stapleton. Stapleton wasn't at the Opry, but the Posty welcomed two other stellar singers—The War and Treaty's Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter – to perform the song, their voices soaring and blazing, marking one of the most musically exciting moments of the evening.
“It's unreal how you sound,” Malone told them.
Post Malone has been known to throw in a few curse words during his shows, but since the Grand Ole Opry is also a radio broadcast, he did his best to keep things clean. Introducing War and the Treaty, he said: “I recently made some friends and I'm so honored to know these people and they can sing their own words,” before quickly asking, “That's not blasphemy, is it? It's in the Bible, right?'
He then closed by performing a solo version of the multi-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping Morgan Wallen collaboration 'I Had Some Help', before finishing his set with a reliable, fiddle-laden version of 2019 hit 'Sunflower' ». “
Audience members quickly rose to their feet to cheer and applaud, making it certain that, given the crowd's approval rating, this could be the first of many Opry performances for Texas native Malone.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/post-malone-grand-ole-opry-debut-guests-1235753498/
