Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National tour arrived in London on Tuesday evening, establishing a new benchmark for delivering an exceptional stadium performance.
It’s an artistic discipline that some of the world’s most famous performers have yet to master, but the duo effortlessly navigated their 52-song setlist at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, eliminating the extra elements and distractions to concentrate on their impressive musical histories.
A rapper from California and a singer-songwriter from Missouri have already set records with the largest co-headline tour ever, featuring 39 performances across North America and Europe.
It represents a major celebration of their recent accomplishments – Lamar’s successful album GNX and SZA’s expanded version of SOS, both released in 2024.
On paper, uniting two of the world’s most prominent artists in a shared performance—instead of having one appear as a supporting act—should be a certain success. Just consider the statistics—they have a combined monthly audience on Spotify of 150 million.
However, keep in mind that these are two artists with very distinct performance styles and themes – SZA is musical and otherworldly, while Lamar is energetic and intense.
SZA addresses her previous relationships and her challenges in establishing self-value, while Kendrick delves into social issues, his background, and increasingly, his adversaries.
However, as they alternated between sets, performing five to six songs each in the initial part of the two-and-a-half-hour performance, you recognized that the shared headlining arrangement was effective.
It’s evident the duo put in a lot of effort to produce a performance that appears smooth – Lamar added a powerful energy to the opening act with songs like King Kunta and ELEMENT, which were accompanied by continuous flames and fireworks.
When the duo switched places, the energy stayed intense, as SZA performed hits like 30 for 30 and Broken Clocks, which were reimagined to sound more powerful.
The minimalistic approach to the stage setup, including expansive moving screens on the primary stage and a circular platform, ensured the attention stayed centered on the two performers.
Certain elements of the stage are highlighted by dancers, yet both performers spent most of their time alone, capturing the audience’s complete focus.
The 10-year professional partnership was clearly visible in the duet parts of the performance, where the two joined together effortlessly to sing All the Stars, one of the night’s standout moments and a newer project from Luther and Gloria.
In any tour that includes multiple main acts, it’s challenging to gauge the audience distribution, but the London fans received both artists with equal enthusiasm.
The audience’s excitement during some of Lamar’s earliest tracks was intense, with mosh pits forming in the standing sections for “Backstreet Freestyle” and “Family Ties.”
Lamar was undoubtedly engaging from start to finish, especially as he performed without vocal support, highlighting his remarkable rap rhythm and lung capacity.
Several components of the stadium show were taken fromhis Super Bowl halftime performancestarting in February of this year, which attracted over 120 million viewers.
The audience was thrilled to witness several of the viral dances from that show making their way into the tour, with the choreography in the song Peekaboo offering great enjoyment.
His performances also included snippets from a marching band, which are not only common on Lamar’s GNX album, but also contributed to recreating the large American stadium ambiance that his music is suited for.
Observing Lamar as he moved across the large circular stage, he commanded the attention of every audience member with his presence—there were no costume changes, no dance performances, just a rapper at the peak of his abilities.
He reached his peak intensity during his diss tracks, which also generated the strongest response from the audience.
The 38-year-old’s a year-long rap rivalry with Drakehas been thoroughly documented, and although he may have exercised some control during his Super Bowl performance, none of that was evident tonight.
His rendition of Euphoria — a song where he verbally conveys his disdain for the Canadian rapper — was especially sharp,
But Not Like Us, Kanye’s most commercially successful diss track and his harshest attack on Drake, was undoubtedly the standout moment of the evening.
It was track 50 out of 52 on the setlist, and it was evident the audience hadn’t merely been waiting all night for it, but likely since they purchased their tickets several months prior.
Who could have imagined that a song focused on accusing Drake of being a pedophile (a claim he strongly refutes) would generate the most energetic atmosphere the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has experienced in years.
Although Lamar’s stage design was simple, SZA incorporated more imagination into her production aspects.
Her personal performances were inspired by the natural world, with dancers seen in costumes ranging from trees to large insects.
SZA performed multiple songs while standing on what looked like a massive green ant structure, then climbed into a harness and flew onto the stage using large butterfly wings.
Although she crafted an otherworldly setting on stage, her performance tonight was at its most genuine.
After her disappointing Glastonbury headline slotat last year’s event, a significant portion of the conversation focused on whether she grasped British audiences and could relate to them.
That uncertainty was resolved right from the beginning of her performance, showcasing her genuine abilities as a self-assured and versatile artist.
The 35-year-old immediately connected with the audience, performing popular songs like Scorsese Baby Daddy and F2F.
Compared to her headlining performance at Glastonbury, there was one common element – she experienced technical difficulties on Tuesday night, seemingly having trouble with her in-ear monitors during the show.
Nevertheless, this did not impact her voice in the slightest, which remained beautifully clear, even during more intricate dance routines.
Her performance on stage was remarkable, along with her skill in adjusting her slower songs to seamlessly fit with Lamar’s fast-paced sets.
One of the standout moments of her performance occurred near the end of the night, when she guided the audience into a nearly hypnotic state with Snooze.
She then explained to the audience how it was “wild how you can go from being engaged to complete strangers” before she performed the ballad “Nobody Gets Me.”
Following three distinct performances featuring tracks from her albums Ctrl, SOS, and the newly released deluxe edition, SZA returned to conclude the concert alongside Lamar.
They concluded with two romantic songs – Luther and Gloria – before vanishing under the stage in a fake car, essentially the theatrical version of riding off into the sunset.
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