Kendrick Lamar once again demonstrated why he raps “Eff the big three, it’s just me” during the first of his three sold out L.A. show dates on the Grand National Tour on Wednesday evening. The Compton rapper didn’t bring out any hometown heroes for his SoFi Stadium showing, commanding the stage all by himself, except for a small group of backup dancers and select duets with his co-headliner SZA.
Kendrick began his set with “wacced out murals,” emerging from his signature black 1987 Buick GNX atop the stage as he rapped the lyrics from the first song off of his latest album named after the car. Another GNX favorite, “squabble up,” followed before Kendrick took a trip back to 2017 with “ELEMENT.” and 2015 with “King Kunta” before coming right back to the present day with “tv off.”
It was after those four tracks that longtime collaborator SZA had her first moment showcasing why she’s a coheadliner alongside the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist. The pair went bar-for-bar on “30 for 30,” from 2024’s LANA, the deluxe version of SZA’s 2022 sophomore album SOS. Later in the show, the duo also performed Ctrl’s “Doves in the Wind,” the Academy Award nominated Black Panther anthem “All the Stars,” and GNX’s “Luther” and “Gloria” together.
On her own, SZA shined, carrying the bug aesthetic that characterized her latest project to the stage, singing in what appeared as her own mythical meadow come to life. On “Garden (Say It Like Dat),” two dancers dressed as large green grasshoppers seductively pranced about the space before she transitioned into “Kitchen,” which she performed riding the insect version of a mechanical bull— an enormous animatronic black ant she’s named Anthony. Another moment that beautifully highlighted the theme came after the live rendition of SZA’s Grammy award-winning single “Snooze,” when she appeared on stage with a set of wings and a floor-length chrysalis-like skirt for “Crybaby,” symbolizing her pending metamorphosis. SZA was hoisted into the air mid-song, the dressing also falling to the ground as she swayed above the stage as a fairy-like butterfly for “Nobody Gets Me.” It was also SZA who brought out the lone special guest for the show, welcoming bestie Lizzo to perform the “Special” remix with her.
For his part, Kendrick wasted no opportunity to double down on the stage presence and masterful camera work that captivated the live audience and at-home viewers of 2024’s Juneteenth concert, Ken & Friends – the Pop Out as well as the Superbowl in New Orleans earlier this year. Sharp cutaways and fire blasting from the stage bolstered the energy on Kendrick’s most riotous tracks, like “peekaboo,” “mA.A.d city,” “DNA.” and the second rendition of “tv off” during which Kendrick famously yells the name of his DJ, “Mustaaaaard,” in the show’s final act. DJ Mustard, who opens for SZA and Kendrick on the tour, appeared on stage at the beckoning call.
Kendrick mostly let the music speak for him, save for a brief moment when he did a roll call of Los Angeles neighborhoods, telling the crowd, “We’ve been all around the world and back, we was on the East Coast, we was in the South for a little bit, but you know I couldn’t mother f-cking wait to make sure I came back home, you hear me!”
The same is true of Kendrick assuming the crown as the winner of his nearly yearslong rap battle with Drake, the Canadian rapper’s name only mentioned in that famous line of “Not Like Us,” which Kendrick only performed one time this go round against a Black history collage created by artist Lauren Halsey, instead of five like at the Pop Out. K-Dot also rapped his verse on “Like That,” the Future and Metro Boomin’ track in which he makes the “big three” reference that set off his and fellow rappers’ in the industry’s beef with Drake, and “Euphoria,” his response to the Drake diss tracks “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.” Kendrick also dropped a new verse while performing “family ties,” a song he shares with fellow L.A. rapper and cousin Baby Keem.
The Grand National Tour has been underway for one month now, kicking off in Minneapolis on April 19. According to Touring Data, following the May 17 show at Lumen Field in Seattle, which grossed $14.8 million, Kendrick become the first rapper in history to take in more than $14 million for a single performance. SZA and Kendrick Lamar have two additional tour dates in Los Angeles on May 23 and May 24 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, before they move on to Glendale, CA, on May 27. The international leg of the GNX Tour will commence on June 12 in Toronto, Canada, with the tour officially coming to an end in Stockholm, Sweden on August 9.
