Review: Kendrick Lamar and SZA deliver a West Coast spectacle at Oracle Park

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

Surveying a sea of 40,000 people gathered at Oracle Park, rap bellwether Kendrick Lamar felt right at home.
'We're back on the West Coast, my home,' Lamar proclaimed. 'We came to the bay to turn this motherf—er all the way up.'
By the end of the nearly three-hour show on Thursday, May 29, he and his tour mates SZA and DJ Mustard made good on the proclamation through a multisensory concert that demonstrated the power of Black creativity, perseverance, beauty and love through art, choreography, music and message.
Like the Pacific Ocean that served as a natural backdrop, it was an evening of contrasts that came in waves, at times churning and relentless, and other times peaceful and restorative. A vintage Buick Grand National car served as a symbol of West Coast car culture that would anchor the show.
DJ Mustard warmed up a crowd with a fun set that mixed regional rap bangers with Bay Area classics by E-40, Mac Dre and Too Short. He even dropped 2010s-era pop like 'Party in the U.S.A.' and 'We Are Young,' which were met with lusty sing-alongs.
Lamar and SZA split their stage time into separate and collaborative mini sets. The tag-team format allowed for a musical and aesthetic reset where Lamar's prowling alpha would give way to SZA's divine feminine omega and vice versa. It was a sumptuous 10-course meal that, with their deep pantry of hits, whetted the appetite for what came next.
When the two joined forces on duets '30 for 30,' 'Doves in the Wind,' they evoked the soulful intimate chemistry of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell for this generation. During their collaborative hit 'All the Stars' from the 'Black Panther' soundtrack, phone lights radiated around the stadium, a spontaneous moment that combined with the audience singing along raised goose bumps.
SZA's set was visually and emotionally compelling, with her exploration and embodiment of the Black female experience through a metaphor of Mother Earth. During 'Garden (Say It Like Dat),' SZA traded in the Buick ride for a giant ant. Dancers dressed as praying mantises clicked across the stage like Cirque du SZA. For 'Kill Bill,' she executed (heh) the hit while footage of a mantis mating ritual where the female devours the male played on the big screen.
If SZA's goal was to shake the 'just an R&B singer' tag, she accomplished that. She showed her vocal versatility and command of hard rock, indie folk and pop. On 'F2F,' she was accompanied by a guitarist and bassist to head bang and shred alongside her. 'Scorsese Baby Daddy' gave off 'Til Tuesday vibes. A metamorphosis took place, literally, when she strapped on butterfly wings to perform the folk-inflected 'Nobody Gets Me.'
Given the state of the world, where atrocities and outrage keeps building, Lamar's sets served as a much-needed release valve. Energy levels spiked during songs like 'Alright' and 'DNA,' which took on fresh meanings in the current political climate. So many rappers have diluted the art of MCing by letting a prerecorded vocal track do the heavy lifting in a live setting. Not in Lamar's case, whose genuine voice boomed out the speaker for the entire show.
'Dodger Blue' combined pinpoint choreography in a setting that, to this reviewer, reframed 'The Last Supper' as a Compton high school cafeteria table. Lamar glided across it and rapped while seated dancers performed mesmerizing handwork. Songs from Lamar's 2012 breakout 'Good Kid, M.A.A.D City' were given makeovers. 'M.A.A.D City' was remade into a quiet storm track complete with Anita Baker 'Sweet Love' backdrop. 'Poetic Justice' was accentuated with hard snares and was conspicuously missing the Drake verse.
So let's talk about Drake, the Canadian elephant not in the room.
Between songs, deposition-style videos played on the big screen of Lamar and SZA in the hot seat, enduring a battery of questions from a hidden interrogator. The prosecution's identity wasn't revealed, but fans knew. When the lawyer asked if allusions to violence in his songs should be taken as a threat, Lamar shot back, 'Whatever you want to take it.'
While Lamar, SZA and DJ Mustard were on the marquee, Drake's aura hung in the stadium air like a pretty piñata waiting to get crushed. The most bloodthirsty pops of the night came during Lamar's performances of feud tracks 'Euphoria' and 'Not Like Us,' the latter which morphed from a Drake exposé to a West Coast anthem to a worldwide dance challenge. At Oracle, fans extended the 'A minorrrrr' line into next week, letting the candies rain.
Though they shared the spotlight, Lamar and SZA traveled distinct pathways across 53 songs. After putting the show to bed with the calming 'Luther' and 'Gloria,' from Lamar's latest album 'GNX,' the duo climbed into the Buick and disappeared under Oracle Park, on to the next episode.
Act I: Kendrick Lamar
Act II: SZA
'30 for 30' (with Kendrick Lamar)
'What Do I Do'
'Love Galore'
'Broken Clocks'
'The Weekend'
Act III: Kendrick Lamar
'Euphoria'
'Hey Now'
'Reincarnated'
'Humble'
'Backseat Freestyle'
'Family Ties'
'Swimming Pools (Drank)' (shortened, a cappella)
'M.A.A.D City' (shortened)
'Alright'
'Man at the Garden'
Act IV: SZA
'Scorsese Baby Daddy'
'F2F'
'Garden (Say It Like Dat)'
'Kitchen'
'Blind'
'Consideration' (Rihanna cover)
'Low'
Act V: Kendrick Lamar & SZA
'Doves in the Wind'
'All the Stars'
'Love'
Act VI: Kendrick Lamar
'Dodger Blue'
'Peekaboo'
'Like That'
'DNA'
'Good Credit'
'Count Me Out'/'Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe'
'Money Trees'
'Poetic Justice'
Act VII: SZA
'I Hate U'
'Shirt'
'Kill Bill'
'Snooze'
'Crybaby'
'Nobody Gets Me'
'Good Days'
'Rich Baby Daddy'
'BMF'
'Kiss Me More'
Act VIII: Kendrick Lamar
'N95'
'TV Off' (Part II)
'Not Like Us'
Act IX: Kendrick Lamar & SZA
'Luther'
'Gloria'
Todd Inoue is a freelance writer.