Post Malone Brought Home the Gold With His Twelve Carat Tour

North Texas’ very own Post Malone made a triumphant return to his hometown on Friday night on the first of two stops in D/FW – on Wednesday he’ll play Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Hailed as a hometown hero and a national treasure, Post proved himself as such as he put on an energetic and heartfelt show for his city.

The American Airlines Center, which looked more like AT&T Stadium if it hosted an “emo night,” was packed with tons of fans dressed in Cowboys gear and sporting fake face tats, many with Posty’s signature “Always” and “Tired” in large script under their eyes. While waiting for the show to begin, the crowd even broke out the wave in true ballgame fashion.

Opener Roddy Ricch was first to get fans on their feet, filling the stadium with his TikTok-viral tunes “High Fashion” and “The Boxx.” With enough hits to support a tour of his own, Ricch did an impressive job energizing the crowd during his 40-minute act.

Appearing on stage in a cloud of smoke, Malone paid homage to his hometown by rocking a jersey for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, shouting his enthusiasm for the team just after his intro: “Dallas, Texas! How ’bout them fuckin’ Cowboys!”

It should be noted that the F-bomb is a choice decoration in Posty’s vocabulary; it was heavily sprinkled in each of his brief monologues throughout the night.

The set design was bare – a three-pronged trident shape with several platform points for the pop-rapper to park and interact with his fans in the pit. Backed by pyro, lasers and fireworks, Malone impressively commanded the stage completely solo but managed to keep interest and energy high. He did have one accompaniment on stage though: A hand that poked out from under the platform after practically every song offering up a solo cup, presumably filled with Post’s signature drink, a Bud Light. He stayed well hydrated through the night.

Malone’s Twelve Carat tour supports his latest project, the album Twelve Carat Toothache. While the setlist included some of his top hits and upbeat pop ballads – “I Like You,” “Candy Paint” and “Sunflower” – it also contained plenty of songs from Twelve Carat Toothache, which is largely melancholy, dark and painfully honest.

“I was really going through it for a while and I had some things I needed to say,” Post told the crowd of the new release. “Thank you so much for listening to me. I fucking love you.”

Despite the heaviness, Malone managed to make light of the evening, for the most part. His moves were wild and goofy, straight out of Napoleon Dynamite – a harsh juxtaposition to the tortured crooning of breakup songs and self-loathing lyrics, and perhaps a heartening signal to his fans that he’s no longer deep on the skids like he was when he wrote the album.

Post took care to express love and adoration for his audience and concern for their mental health, a topic that became a tangible focus of the evening. “If you ever feel one of your friends is going through something, don’t ever hesitate to talk to them. Give them a big ol’ hug,” he urged. There were hugs all around.

Highlights of the night included a mid-show acoustic stretch that showcased Post’s signature vibrato, a true “Rockstar” guitar-smashing moment, and an electric ending with a trio of huge hits, “One Right Now,” “Congratulations” and “White Iverson.”

Posty captivated the crowd with his authenticity, at times gyrating goofily and at others falling to his knees, overcome with emotion. What was most apparent throughout the evening, though, was his gratitude for his city and the fans who helped him reach rockstar status.