But for weekend 2, he was not so lonesome, closing out the night — and the two-weekend festival as a whole — with a set that included guest turns from Ed Sheeran and Jelly Roll.
He still did not accept any help on “I Had Some Help,” maybe having made a pact with Post Malone not to let anyone replace him in concert on that duet. The songs where he did get some assistance were a country-fied version of “Sunflower,” where Sheeran took the place of original studio collaborator Swae Lee on lead vocals plus acoustic guitar, and “Losers,” from last year’s smash “F-1 Trillion” album, which had Mr. Roll reprising his part from that recording.
Both instances provided plenty of opportunity for hugs and spoken lovefests before and after the songs in question… and in the case of Jelly Roll, a plug for the upcoming stadium tour that will see Jelly Roll opening for Post Malone, from April 29 through July 1.
“I’m so fucking grateful to be able to have the fucking opportunity to be able to go on tour with the kindest soul such as yourself,” said Malone. “I knew from the first moment that I fucking hugged you that you had the biggest heart in the fucking universe, and I can only say thank you so very much, and thank you for coming out tonight and I love you and I can’t wait to kick some fucking ass. You are the greatest motherfucker in the world.”
Malone used the F-word roughly 1.3 times per sentence during his onstage patter, with the occasions in which he used it two or three times per sentence making up for the occasions in which he slipped through without any. This surpassed even his use of the phrase “ladies and gentlemen,” which some viewers in the comments section decided was good for a drinking game.
As for Sheeran, Malone exulted, “Holy fuck. I didn’t even know he was here tonight.” Some foreknowledge seemed to have been in order, judging not just from the flawless duo performance, but from the fact that Malone had two of his red Solo cups at the ready instead of just one.
Sheeran was making the most of his weekend, with and without Malone. On Saturday, he did an afternoon solo set in a tent that began at 3 and was broadcast on the livestream at 4. Along with 10 greatest hits, Sheeran also played the first live version of his new single, “Azizam,” that was not performed in a small promotional setting like a busking or bar appearance.
Speaking of bars, though, Sheeran had his own pub set up somewhere on the Coachella premises, and did some social media from the secret spot on Sunday. His performances at the tiny Old Phone pub included teaming up with Shaboozey on “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” as well as joining forces in the intimate space with Alex Warren and the traditional Irish band Beoga.
Post Malone definitely won the humility sweepstakes for the weekend, with song intros and outros like: “We’ve come to play some shitty songs and get fucked up while we do it.” “I apologize for being pitchy.” “Some consider [the following song] the only good song. And I quite agree…” And: “How many of you motherfuckers were here last week? I’m gonna try not to fuck this one up, and I’m gonna try to make it a good one, ladies and gentlemen.”
In fact, as the comments scrolled by alongside the livestream, there seemed to be a general, if quite universal, consensus that Malone’s weekend 2 set beat his weekend 1 performance, with users citing better sound, less prominent background vocals and possibly a Malone who had not dipped into his cups as much this time. The integration of his new country songs with his past pop hits — and some rearranged artifacts from his early hip-hop era — came off well, to most ears, and augured well for the upcoming stadium sets offering a reasonably seamless experience, for anyone who wondered how his different genre sides might meld. It’s a solid show, and when it comes to Malone’s professions of shittiness, the man doth protest too much.
Regardless, the stream of comments on the livestream inevitably drew amusingly polarized reactions, with many loving Malone’s accentuated country side and some still not quite ready for it. Among the comments appearing on-screen as the night drew to a close:
“This is the longest I have ever tolerated country music before.”
“Way better than week 1.”
“Doesn’t anyone notice he smokes just like Dave Chapelle?” (Malone’s ability to clutch a red Solo cup and cig in one hand and his mic in the other for the length of a song, without spilling, was remarked upon as if it were an Olympic sport.)
“Last week better.”
“I rather wait for K-pop Malone.”
“I need about 3 hours of Megan Thee Statllion twerking to get this out of my mind.”
