Post Malone performs possible final concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre after 39 seasons

Published 1:35 pm Wednesday, October 16, 2024

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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM – One of the landmarks of the Alabama music scene officially shut its doors for the 2024 season and possibly forever, but not before going out with a bang.

Grammy nominated singer Post Malone took the stage at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham on Tuesday, Oct. 15, possibly marking the final show at the venue after 39 seasons.

At the end of the show, which was part of his F-1 Trillion Tour supporting his first country album of the same name, Post acknowledged the venue’s uncertain future in a speech following an encore performance of his No. 1 hit “Sunflower.”

“I heard that this may be the last show at this venue, so thanks for making this a fantastic night,” Post told the sold-out crowd.

Upon leaving, attendees also received a poster celebrating the venue’s 39-year history, including a list of the biggest names of artists to play at the Pelham venue.

The poster said that the venue had hosted more than 500 shows and three million patrons from 1986 to 2024.

Attendees at the Post Malone concert at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre received a poster commemorating the venue’s 39-year history and notable artists that it hosted. (Reporter Photo/Andrew Simonson)

While venue owner Live Nation would not confirm to the Shelby County Reporter if Oak Mountain Amphitheatre would book concerts for the 2025 season and beyond, the venue’s Facebook and X accounts posted on Sept. 16 that the Post Malone show would be the “last show here at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre” with a heart emoji before clarifying that it was the last show of the season and the future was uncertain.

On Tuesday night, the commemorative poster and the speech from Post pointed toward the likelihood of it being the final show booked by Live Nation at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.

Live Nation representatives declined comment on the venue’s future after the show, saying news would be released at a later date.

Oak Mountain Ampitheatre’s future was thrown up in the air when Live Nation and the BJCC announced a $50 million agreement on Sept. 13, 2023 to build the 9,380-seat Birmingham Amphitheater in the Druid Hills neighborhood near the site of the former Carraway hospital.

The new amphitheater, currently slated to open in summer 2025, has already booked its first act, scheduling a Teddy Swims concert for Aug. 15, 2025. It is not known at this time if the concert will serve as the venue’s first show.

During their city council meeting on Sept. 16, Pelham City Manager Gretchen DiFante said they are uncertain of the future but are committed to continuing a working relationship with Live Nation and making sure the space is beneficial to Pelham citizens.

“We don’t know what is going to happen,” DiFante said. “We don’t know if we will be hosting concerts next season or not. What we do know is that we will continue to be a positive partner with Live Nation as long as they are providing great entertainment in the city of Pelham. If the time comes for them to be doing something else, we are certainly going to work with them diligently to ensure that the property is still beneficial to the city of Pelham.”

During the show, residents reflected on the venue’s history and what it meant to them.

Bronson moved to the Birmingham area about two years ago and only started coming to Oak Mountain Amphitheatre this summer for the Hootie and the Blowfish show in July. While attending the Post Malone show, he said he enjoys the venue’s proximity to where he lives.

“It’s really cool the two times we’ve been here so far,” Bronson said. “We’re going to miss it. I wish there were more out here because it’s kind of close to where we live.”

Alexander Long is a longtime concert goer at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre but said the Post Malone show marked his first time back in the venue since a Train show a decade ago.

He believes the way the venue is set up lends itself to a great concert experience.

“I’ve always liked the way that it was structured, how you can see the stage, so I’ve always had a good time, especially when the artists come into the crowd,” Long said. “It just makes it a better experience than some other places.”

Oak Mountain Amphitheatre opened in 1986 and was also known as the Verizon Wireless Music Center from 2004-2012. The amphitheater accommodates up to 10,300 guests.

During its 39-year history, the venue has hosted concerts from artists such as Taylor Swift, George Strait, Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Hall & Oates, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Snoop Dogg and Morgan Wallen.

The 2024 Oak Mountain Amphitheatre season included concerts from Hozier, Staind, Hootie and the Blowfish, Third Eye Blind, Limp Bizkit, Creed, Live and Stone Temple Pilots in addition to the final show with Post Malone.

Oak Mountain Amphitheatre also has played host to multiple live albums, including John Mayer’s Any Given Thursday album recorded on Sept. 12, 2002 during his Room For Squares Tour and three albums by Widespread Panic documenting their concerts from July 27-29, 2001.

During Post Malone’s show, the artist performed a mix of songs from his new album F-1 Trillion, including his chart-topping collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help,” as well as country spins on his previous discography, including “Congratulations,” “rockstar” and “White Iverson.”

Post was backed by his new band The Fools For You, which used traditional country instruments like fiddles and steel guitars across the 25-song setlist. He introduced each member in depth following a lively performance of Billy Strings collaboration “M-E-X-I-C-O.”

Post began the set with a pair of songs from F-1 Trillion, “Wrong Ones” and “Finer Things,” before segueing into “Circles,” one of his longest reigning singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

The pattern of two F-1 Trillion songs and one throwback continued for the first 11 songs before launching into a string of older songs: “Stay,” which was the lone song Post played acoustic guitar on, “I Fall Apart,” “Better Now” and “Psycho.”

The band then performed three country cuts, including “Dead at the Honky Tonk,” Jelly Roll collaboration “Losers” and “Yours,” the latter of which was dedicated to his 2-year old daughter. After a brief piano tease, Post launched into his breakout hit “White Iverson.”

That then led to the final three F-1 Trillion songs of the night, “Pour Me a Drink,” which features Blake Shelton on the studio version, “Long Bed” edition cut “Go to Hell” and finally “I Had Some Help,” which led to one of the loudest crowd receptions of the night.

Post ditching his pearl-snap shirt to go shirtless signaled a mood shift for the rowdy last two songs of the main set: No. 1 hit “rockstar” from beerbongs and bentleys and Stoney single “Congratulations.”

He then returned just past the 11 p.m. mark for an encore performance of “Sunflower” from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack, which could possibly be the final song ever performed at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.

Post was joined by a pair of openers, Muscadine Bloodline and Dan Spencer.

The Mobile-based country-rock band Muscadine Bloodline tipped its cap to its home state multiple times during the 10-song set, half of which came from its 2024 album The Coastal Plain. The band’s bass guitar player hails from Pelham, giving the possible final show at the city’s amphitheatre a local flair.

The F-1 Trillion Tour continues on Thursday, Oct. 17 at The Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach and on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The tour will then finish up with four Texas dates in The Woodlands and Austin.