Coachella review: Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll help Post Malone end fest on semblance of a bang

Yahoo

21-04-2025

Post Malone is the perfect Sunday night closer for people who have work the next morning.
After the spectacle of Lady Gaga and the rock 'n' roll power of Green Day, nobody could blame you for leaving early during the third headliner of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. But especially it's it's Post.
Look, it's an unenviable position to be in for any performer. By Sunday night, festivalgoers are barely functioning. They've just been through nearly three straight days of chest-thumping music and dehydration. They need an overwhelming experience to get them back on their feet to end the weekend with a bang.
More: Coachella 2025 setlist: Jelly Roll and Ed Sheeran sing with Post Malone for Weekend 2
For some, Post Malone may scratch that itch. But for others, his Sunday night closer is likely to leave them wanting more. The Texas rapper and singer stuck close to his new country style throughout the entirety of his set, even for the songs that were originally written in different as pop or hip-hop tracks.
Still, the Weekend 2 crowd was treated to two special guests — Ed Sheeran for "Sunflower" and Jelly Roll during "Losers" — a welcome change from the lack of guests during Weekend 1.
On a stage that resembled a southern truck stop, Post Malone smoked cigarettes and carried a red Solo cup while he sang. His set had the same energy I would expect from a frat party at the University of Alabama. Although he sang many of his biggest hits, those hits would have proven nearly unrecognizable if it weren't for the lyrics.
Many people certainly appeared to enjoy themselves. They cheered loudly when the artist engaged with the crowd and jumped up and down for his biggest songs. But if you don't already like country music, his set did not seem prone to winning you over.
Maybe if so many of his songs didn't sound so similar in their new country-esque versions, it would have been a bit more entertaining. It also seemed like somewhat of a letdown compared to Lady Gaga's tightly-choreographed dance extravaganza and the nostalgia of Green Day. Post Malone sure can't match Gaga as a dancer (to be fair, however, he doesn't try), and he doesn't have as powerful of a stage presence as Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.
It's hard not to compare him to the other two headliners, which ends up reflecting unfavorably on him. Still, he appeared happy to be there and repeatedly thanked festivalgoers for showing up to watch him sing.
That counts for something (I'm looking at you Frank Ocean). It also helps that Post Malone seems like a decent guy. He stopped "Better Now" at one point to ensure one fan got medical attention and showed excellent manners throughout his set — a true Southern gentleman.
"I know you can be anywhere in the world, and it means the world that you came to spend this evening with us," he said toward the beginning of his set.
I'll give him one more compliment. Post's stage presence is captivating. He's the type of person who makes you want to spend your last bits of energy jumping up and down to one last song. He even got a chance to show off his singing chops on more emotional songs like "I Fall Apart."
And it was a fun surprise for Jelly Roll to appear onstage "Losers." That's a notable treat for Weekend 2, which normally gets the short end of the stick in terms of special guests. Last week, Post Malone had no guests, but this week the Weekend 2 crowd got not only Jelly, but last-minute Coachella lineup addition Ed Sheeran, too, as he lent his own twist to the smash hit "Sunflower." The appearance clearly caused a much-needed jolt through the lethargic crowd.
Still, compared to all the highlights of the last three days, Post Malone ranks somewhere in the middle.
At least the pyrotechnics were cool.
(This story was updated to add a gallery.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Post Malone Coachella review: Weekend 2 set was like an SEC frat party