Post Malone Packs the Louvre for Private Show in Paris
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Post Malone brought the party to the City of Lights last weekend, for a private show at the Louvre that saw the superstar singer shut down the museum’s iconic Cour Carrée for an intimate performance for Visa.
Dubbed “Visa Live at le Louvre,” the event helped to kick off the credit card and financial brand’s activations in Paris leading up to this summer’s Olympic Games. Taking the stage just as the sun was setting on a classically overcast Parisian night, Malone ran through an hour-long set of his biggest hits in front of 4,000 lucky fans who had won tickets through a Visa lottery, and thousands more streaming the concert exclusively on Roblox.
Backed by a live band — including a cellist and violinist — Malone had the crowd hyped early, with songs like “Psycho,” “Rockstar,” “Circles,” and “I Like You” (sans Doja Cat). The singer brought out an acoustic guitar for his 2018 hit, “Stay,” followed by an emotional performance of “I Fall Apart” that literally brought him to his knees.
“Can you believe they let me sing here?” Malone asked, amidst the Renaissance façade of the Louvre as a movie-worthy backdrop. “I’m just lucky they let me into France,” he joked.
The evening closed with Malone’s first live performance in Europe of his hit Morgan Wallen duet, “I Had Some Help,” before the singer bid farewell with a sing-along encore to “Sunflower.”
“To be able to play here is such an honor for me,” Malone said, as he took his final bows. “This is a magical fucking evening.”
Malone’s concert marked one of the first times that the Louvre had closed off its courtyard for a private event, and prior to the show, organizers had to monitor decibel levels and ensure soundproofing of the museum walls, so as to not shake the art. Not that it affected the show of course: “Let’s rattle some artwork!” the singer jokingly declared early on in his set.
Opening for Malone at the Visa event was French DJ, Kungs; the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter RaiNao; and Nigerian Afrobeats singer, Ayra Starr, who was later spotted in the crowd singing along during Malone’s set.
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Visa CMO Frank Cooper says the event perfectly encapsulated the brand’s commitment to providing members with access to extraordinary experiences. “You can see live music almost anywhere, from an amphitheater, to a stadium, to a small club, and it’s all beautiful,” he tells Rolling Stone. “But what’s really special is when you see artists in a fundamentally different setting,” Cooper says, “because the expression of the music is different, and the way in which the audience receives it is different. And what setting is more special than the Louvre?”
While Visa is best-known for its credit cards, Cooper cites the brand’s founder Dee Hock, who famously claimed that the “card is almost irrelevant.” What’s important, Cooper explains, “is the access that it provides for the people, and what’s behind the card.”
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Cooper says the Post Malone concert is just the first of many “Visa Live” events to come. The brand is also sponsoring more than 120 “Team Visa” athletes for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games, supporting them with resources for personal and athletic development. As for Malone, Cooper says the Louvre was a fitting backdrop for the Grammy-nominated performer to showcase his multitude of talents.
“The Louvre is the most iconic art location,” Cooper says, “and what are these musical artists doing? They’re creating art. And some people would say well, ‘Isn’t it weird to have Post Malone at this iconic place where famous artists are?’ but in my view,” Cooper muses, “I see Post Malone throughout the museum; I see Ayra Starr throughout the museum; their energy and presence and what they represent is already there. They’re just a modern, timely representation of art to me.”
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