Music

Over the past year, Post Malone has been integrating himself into Nashville’s country music circles, co-writing and recording songs with numerous country artists, writers, producers and musicians in Music City for his upcoming debut country album, F-1 Trillion, out on Friday (Aug. 16).
But on Wednesday night (Aug. 14), he was welcomed into the most prestigious of those circles — the six-foot circle of hardwood, originally part of the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, and which now resides in the middle of the stage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, as Post Malone made his Grand Ole Opry debut — and yes, he had some help.

Quite a lot of it, actually.

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Post Malone’s 18-song F-1 Trillion project brims with collaborations with artists including 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 Grand Ole Opry member since 2001, took to the stage first with a warm introduction.

“He has a country heart and he is someone who immersed himself in the Nashville way,” Paisley said, while also laying down a challenge: “But you aren’t a country singer until you’ve played this,” Paisley said. He then welcomed Posty, who garnered an instant standing ovation as he walked onstage and stepped into the famous circle, in the process becoming part of the ongoing legacy of the longest-running radio broadcast in history.

“What’s going on Nashville? My name is Austin Richard Post and I’m here to play some songs tonight with some really amazing folks and I’m honored to call them friends,” six-time Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Malone told the crowd as he joined Paisley.

“I’m terrified and honored to be standing right in this spot. My mom’s here tonight. Brad I remember going to see you [perform] when I was like six. I wanted to say how amazingly grateful and floored I am to have you bring me out tonight and I appreciate you.”

From there, the evening — hosted by WSM Radio’s Kelly Sutton — was a heart-warming mix of music and friendship. It was another Opry member, Vince Gill, who joined Posty for the first song, a rendition of Gill’s 1993 hit “One More Last Chance,” with Paisley also offering up some smooth guitar riffs.

Post Malone, clad in jeans, a white shirt, a blue blazer and cowboy hat, displayed a self-depreciating sense of humor, quipping early in the evening, “I was going for like a K-Mart George Strait [look],” drawing laughs from the audience.

He also noted, “how cool it is to rock out to people that I’ve listened to my whole entire life,” before welcoming John Michael Montgomery to join him on Montgomery’s 1994 hit “Be My Baby Tonight,” trading off high-octane verses and intertwining their voices on the chorus.

“I’m having the freakin’ best time of my life,” Malone said, clearly taking in the experience. He added, “We’ve been here in Nashville for a couple of months, like six or seven months, and I have made so many beautiful friends along the way. I’m so honored to be able to work with my friends.” He then welcomed reigning ACM and CMA entertainer of the year Wilson, who was inducted as an Opry member in June.

“Her heart is bigger than her hat,” he quipped, as she added, “What a special night.”

They debuted a song from F-1 Trillion called “Nosedive” about finding the beauty in the painful moments. The heartfelt ballad elicited cheers from the crowd and marked one of the evening’s more tender moments.

“Welcome to country music, Post Malone. We’re glad to have you!” Wilson said before exiting the stage. Paisley then returned to debut another new F-1 Trillion 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 deadpanning, “We’re going to mess this up. We’ve played this once.”

“Watching Brad growing up, I was always just mind-blown by someone who could play guitar like that,” Posty told the crowd, before telling Paisley, “You are the best living guitar player on the planet and I’m so 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 that features Chris Stapleton. Stapleton wasn’t at the Opry, but Posty welcomed two other stellar vocalists — The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter — to perform the song, their voices soaring and swooping, marking one of the evening’s most musically-rousing moments.

“It’s unreal how y’all sound,” Malone told them.

Post Malone is known to drop a few curse words during his shows, but given that the Grand Ole Opry is also a radio broadcast, he did his best to keep things clean. In introducing The War and Treaty, he said, “I recently made some friends and I’m so honored to know these people and they can sing their a–es off,” before quickly asking, “That’s not a cuss, right? It’s in the Bible, right?”

He then closed by performing a solo version of his multi-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, the Morgan Wallen collab “I Had Some Help,” before ending his set with a countrified, fiddle-laden version of his 2019 hit “Sunflower.”

The audience members swiftly rose to their feet to cheer and applaud, making it all but certain that given the audience’s approving reception, this could be but the first of many Opry performances for Texas native Malone.