The 2024 edition of Governors Ball kicked off on Friday (6/7) at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the NYC festival’s second year at the Queens location. Post Malone headlined day one; it was a day after he’d made a few surprise appearances at Nashville’s CMA fest, including two performances with Blake Shelton of their new collaborative track, but as Billboard points out, there wasn’t much country in his GovBall set:

The question of a Post Malone gig has traditionally not been whether he’d seem like a star, but what kind of star would lead the way: rap star Post, rock star Post, pop star Post, or now even country star Post? In truth, he’s been all four for some time — well, the first three, anyway, with the fourth seemingly on its way. But if one was the most forward on Friday night, it was probably rock star Post, with the first two songs (and many subsequent cuts) both being introduced via the grungy riffs of guitarist Liv Slingerland, and more six-string-heavy (and just heavy period) borderline inclusions like Beerbongs and Bentleys‘ “Over Now” and Hollywood’s Bleeding’s “Take What You Want” making the cut. There was lots of growling and shredding; one time, Post threw up the devil horns while hunching his shoulders and he very briefly kinda even looked like Ronnie James Dio. At some point in the middle of the set, the mix of loud, chunking guitars with rapping — largely about being angry at girls — inspired me to write in my notes: Has Post Malone been nu-metal this whole time?

Read Billboard‘s review in full here, and see Post Malone’s Friday night setlist below.

Friday at Governors Ball also featured sets from Rauw Alejandro, Alex G, Farruko, Teezo Touchdown, FLO, Underscores, Blondshell, and more. See pictures from the whole day by Toby Tenenbaum below.

SETLIST: POST MALONE @ GOVERNORS BALL, 6/7/2024 (via Billboard)
Better Now
Wow
Zack and Codeine
Psycho
Goodbyes
I Like You (A Happier Song)
Jonestown (Interlude)
Take What You Want
Over Now
Rockstar
Stay
I Fall Apart
Wrapped Around Your Finger
Circles
Too Young
White Iverson
Congratulations

Encore:
Sunflower
I Had Some Help
Chemical