Artists rarely tour together unless one is an opener or featured in a song. But for Kendrick Lamar and SZA, co-headlining a whole tour exemplified their ability to shine and command the spotlight individually.
The energy was already high before Kendrick and SZA took the stage with DJ Mustard’s opening DJ set. With most of the audience already on their feet, DJ Mustard enticed the crowd by playing songs like “Plain Jane” by A$AP Ferg, “TGIF” by Glorilla, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes, “FE!N” by Travis Scott and more.
By the time DJ Mustard walked off the stage, the crowd could see a portion of the stage had descended to the ground. The gaping hole in the ground would soon rise with the infamous Buick GNX on the cover of Kendrick’s GNX album cover.
Suddenly, all of the lights went down, and the crowd erupted in cheers with anticipation for Kendrick and SZA to take the stage. And there it was, smoke slowly rising from the dark abyss, and the Buick GNX appeared with Kendrick Lamar sitting in the front seat, rapping the lyrics to “wacced out murals.”
What I particularly loved about this concert was that between songs, Kendrick and SZA had clips of them in a mock deposition, which some fans hypothesized they were poking fun at Drake’s UMG defamation lawsuit. However, I loved hearing the messages behind their words such as SZA mentioning being grateful for all the heartbreak and problems she has been through because it helped her write hit-songs that sky-rocketed her career.
Kendrick went on to perform a few fan-favorites like “squabble up,” “King Kunta” and “ELEMENT.” before SZA joined him on stage for an ecstatic performance of their song “30 for 30.”
Now it was SZA’s turn to perform a few of her own hits without Kendrick, such as “Love Galore,” “Broken Clocks,” and “The Weekend.” SZA then went backstage so that Kendrick could perform “euphoria,” “hey now,” “reincarnated,” “HUMBLE.,” “Backseat Freestyle,” “family ties,” “m.A.A.d city,” “Alright,” and “man at the garden.”
The performances were structured pretty similarly throughout the show, which I really enjoyed. Kendrick would play a few songs, then SZA would play a few of her songs, and then they would perform a few songs together and continue switching off the spotlight.
This wouldn’t be a Kendrick Lamar and SZA concert without their performance of their hit song “All the Stars” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack. Phone flashlights went up, lighting up the stadium like thousands of stars, perfect for this song. It seemed like everyone in the crowd was singing along to this euphoric tune.
If you’re a fan of SZA’s “SOS” album, you’re in for a treat because her live performances of these tracks were some of the most unforgettable moments of the concert. For her performance of “Nobody Gets Me,” SZA rose to the ceiling in fairy wings and what looked like a 30 ft long skirt, representing a cocoon. Right before she started singing, the skirt fell dramatically to the ground, symbolizing her breaking out of her cocoon and going through changes and growth.
What surprised me was SZA’s choice of performing “Rich Baby Daddy,” a song she shares with Sexyy Red and Drake, two artists that her co-headliner has criticized in the past.
Nevertheless, it was Kendrick’s turn to take the stage again, and he came in strong with his performance of “N95” from his album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” Though the energy in the crowd erupted with his performance of “TV Off” with DJ Mustard, followed by possibly the most anticipated song of the night, “Not Like Us.”
I truly expected “Not Like Us” to be the last song of the concert, after all, it would’ve ended the show with a banger. However, the artists chose to close off the night with a beautiful performance of “gloria,” a song about a complicated relationship as a source of strength and turmoil, with SZA’s soulful verse bringing a sense of timeless commitment, wrapping up the night with a nice little bow.
