Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour Is Spectacular: Review

Kendrick Lamar and SZA filled the AT&T Stadium on Saturday, April 26 on the third stop of their joint “Grand National Tour” (get tickets here). One of the year’s most anticipated concerts, the tour served as both act’s first ever stadium tour. As both Lamar and SZA are known to tell vivid stories through their respective poetic bars and painfully relatable song lyrics, the “Grand National Tour” offers fans the full picture, combining their music with cinematic visuals and theatrical storytelling.

The concert opened with the GNX intro “wacced out murals,” which saw Lamar emerging from the ground, rapping the first verse from the inside of the titular 1987 Buick Grand National Experimental. Lamar stepped out of the car, and as he rapped “I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down,” flames burst from either side of him. Such pyrotechnics continued as he performed “squabble up” and the first half of “tv off” with dancers moving in sync.

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Soon after, SZA emerged from the ground in the same GNX car, but this time it was covered in greenery. SZA and Lamar set high expectations for the blended evening as they performed their collaboration “30 for 30” from LANA, a deluxe edition of SZA’s SOS album. This smoothly transitioned into “Love Galore” from her 2017 debut CTRL. As she revisited the fan-favorites from that era, including “Broken Clocks” and “The Weekend,” the stage transformed into an ethereal forest with ivy and flowers. Visual touches like this continued to elevate the twin catalogs, adding up to an evening that didn’t just sound great, but looked literally spectacular.

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The Drake diss track “euphoria” came early in the evening, followed by a group of dancers c-walking to “Hey Now.” Shortly after, a sketch in which Lamar is deposed by an officer played onscreen. The faceless officer addressed Lamar’s penchant for laying low in between album cycles, insinuating that “disappearing” is actually a form of attention seeking.

But longtime fans know that when Lamar is out of the public eye, he is locked into his art, and the “Grand National Tour” proved that as he performed 2017’s “Humble,” during which, the spotlight shined primarily on the group of Black women dancers. He also revisted the instant classic 2012 songs “Backseat Freestyle,” “Swimming Pools” — which he performed stripped back, and a medley of “M.A.A.d City” and Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love.”

SZA, photo by Cassidy Meyers

While SZA’s 2023 “SOS Tour” proved to be a hit among fans, she’s vastly improved upon her stage presence in the two years since. Fans could feel her crestfallen, forlorn heartache as she performed “Garden (Say it Like Dat)” on her knees. Of course, she also displayed her quirky side as she sang “Kitchen” while sitting on top of a giant ant.

Perhaps one of the most memorable points of the concert was when Lamar and SZA performed “Love” from Lamar’s 2017 album DAMN., swapping out Zacari’s chorus and ad-libs for those of SZA. While the song isn’t originally a collab between the two of them, their musical chemistry was evident in their performance as they sweetly embraced their yin and yang dynamic.

Much of the Drake disses didn’t arrive until later in the show. But by the time Lamar performs his scathing verse from Metro Boomin’ and Future’s “Like That” — which is thought to have catalyzed their public feud — not a single person remained in their seats. The energy felt almost overwhelming as the audience had arrived to a simple conclusion — it really is just big Kendrick.

But the rush didn’t peak here. Fans maintained their gusto as Lamar performed “DNA,” with home videos of himself playing in the background — showing that he is and always has been loyal to the West Coast.

The calm before the storm came as SZA floated in the air dressed as a fairy performing “Saturn,” channeling a graceful garden nymph. Hearing 48,000 people sing “Good Days” proved therapeutic — as it did during the “SOS Tour” — but this time, her vocals were sharper than ever.

Near the end of the concert, things picked back up, as Lamar performed the second half of “TV Off.” The sound of the audience shouting “Mustard!” could’ve broken the sound barrier. When Lamar got to “Not Like Us,” the combination of the audience yelling “A-minor” combined with every single person bopping to the beat damn near activated the Richter scale.

Over the course of the past decade, the two Grammy-winning artists have built quite an impressive catalog. Though they could’ve chosen any number of songs from their discography as the closers, they chose to ride the current highs of GNX’s “Luther” and “Gloria,” rather than rest on their laurels. At the time of writing, “Luther” has been on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks — the longest for either act.

The combination of hits — both current and past — with video montages of LA, deposition sketches, and a run to the convenience store for chamoy, breathed new life into both artists’ music. As two of the premier storytellers of our time, Lamar and SZA are likely to continue touring for years to come. But the “Grand National Tour” saw two superstars at the peak of their powers. And moments like that don’t come around every lifetime.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA, photo by Cassidy Meyers

Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Grand National Tour” Setlist:
Act I: Kendrick Lamar
wacced out murals
squabble up
King Kunta
ELEMENT.
tv off (part I)

Act II: SZA
30 for 30 (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Love Galore
Broken Clocks
The Weekend

Act III: Kendrick Lamar
euphoria
hey now
reincarnated
HUMBLE.
Backseat Freestyle
family ties (Baby Keem cover)
Swimming Pools (Drank)
m.A.A.d city
Alright
man at the garden

Act IV: SZA
Scorsese Baby Daddy
F2F
Garden (Say It Like Dat)
Kitchen
Blind
Forgiveless
Low

Act V: Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Doves in the Wind
All the Stars
LOVE.

Act VI: Kendrick Lamar
dodger blue
peekaboo
Like That (Future & Metro Boomin cover)
DNA.
GOOD CREDIT (Playboi Carti cover)
Count Me Out (contained elements of “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”)
Money Trees
Poetic Justice

Act VII: SZA
I Hate U
Diamond Boy (DTM)
Kill Bill
Snooze
Crybaby
Saturn
Good Days
Rich Baby Daddy (Drake cover)
BMF
Kiss Me More (Doja Cat cover)

Act VIII: Kendrick Lamar
[unreleased]
tv off (part II)
Not Like Us

Act IX: Kendrick Lamar & SZA
luther
gloria