By Scott Tady
PITTSBURGH — Flames and hugs. Face tattoos and freewheeling flights through musical genres.
Post Malone and Jelly Roll didn’t disappoint with their “Big Ass Tour” revving up a nearly full PNC Park on Thursday.
The two superstars performed country, pop and hip-hop — even moments of classic-rock arose — beginning with Jelly Rolly’s appointed hometown hype man, ESPN color commentator Pat McAfee, whipping up the crowd by launching into Styx’s “Renegade,” welcoming to the stage a grinning Jelly Roll who sang along with that Steelers fans’ favorite.
Jelly Roll flashed his pearly whites often, and sang with conviction, boosted by a tight band with three standout backing singers.
Jelly Roll did a rap cadence to introduce his drummer Cody “Pork Chop” Ash, getting fans to chant “Go Pork Chop…Go Pork Chop…Yo Pork Chop, Yo Pork Chop.”
“Liar” brought fire blasting upward from the stage, with that country-rock tune followed by a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” that got most of the audience — ushers and EMTs included — singing along.
Jelly Roll rapped a few verses of his Jessie Murph collab “Wild Ones,” then got to the country-style pandering, dropping a Primanti Bros. reference and mentioning he’s been playing Pittsburgh even before he became a music star in 2021.
Adding that in his earlier, harder-living era, he sometimes wondered if he was headed to an early grave, Jelly Roll went into inspirational mode, telling Pittsburgh spectators — many in their young-20’s — that if they work hard and are willing to make changes in their lives, they can achieve their dreams.
“I believe music can heal people…I believe in the power of music,” the 40-year-old artist (born Jason Bradley DeFord) said, setting up a powerful “I Am Not Okay,” for which friends and couples in the audience faced each other as they sang along.
The set-closing “Save Me” was more of a case of fans facing the singer and shouting along to the lyrics, including Jelly Roll getting them to shout “Hail Mary” in unison.
A song earlier, fans gratefully indulged Jelly Roll in a medley of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Pittsburgh rap star Wiz Khalifa’s “Young, Wild & Free.”
It could have been a tough act to follow, but headliner Post Malone captured the crowd’s attention from the get-go, singing “Texas Tea” as a hefty blast of fireworks exploded above the stage, loud enough to rattle the ears of a sizable crowd that was listening to the show live from the deck of the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
Malone’s set brought enough fire and pyro to make Rammstein proud.
Posty sipped from a steady supply of red Solo cups handed him from backstage. Granted, he tossed a few somewhat full cups into the crowd, and spilled a few others amid his enthusiastic stage moves.
Malone’s banter needs work. His nonstop barrage of F-bombs — intended to impart raw enthusiasm and humor — came across as amateurish, not that fans didn’t cheer him on.
He did much better when singing, including a few emo-like yelps in “Better Now,” for which he dropped to his knees for full emotional effect.
“Wrong Ones,” his fourth selection, ignited with rugged country-western guitar. Malone did a spin-around-while-hopping dance move that would be a sensation as a TikTok line dance.
His stage design offered western motifs, including images of desert plateaus, a large neon cowgirl and cowboy, and an Interstate 69 road sign. A large, ultra clear video screen above the stage made it look like his band, including a fiddle player and pedal steel player, were performing larger-than-life above him.
Malone, 29, flitted effortlessly between country and hip-hop. “Go Flex” had a big beat drop but then morphed into a beachy, acoustic-driven song. The liquid-y beats in “Hollywood’s Bleeding” were standout. Malone dropped to the stage and writhed dramatically for “I Fall Apart,” which contrasted with the song’s swaying melody.
Jelly Roll returned — Solo cup in hand– for a duet on “Losers.” The two superstars hugged each other firmly, with Malone wisecracking, “I especially love the face tats” to his similarly facially-inked touring partner. Repeating a lengthy comment he made during his own set, Jelly Roll said he loves the friendship the two have them have forged, adding he would open 400 more shows for Malone if Posty asked him to.
Jelly Roll left the stage in a full-on sprint, which sparked a flashy smile from Malone’s diamond-encrusted teeth grills.
From the hoedown “M-E-X-I-C-O,” to the pop-country “What Don’t Belong to Me” to Malone strumming acoustically on “Feeling Whitney,” the quick-paced fun continued.
Malone welcomed back on stage Sierra Ferrell, the real-deal country singer and fiddle player whose delightful 30-minute set had finished by 7 p.m., before many audience members found their seat.
Treat yourself to Ferrell’s toe-tapping, old-school music the next time the West Virginia native plays Pittsburgh.
