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Car and Driver
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Retro Ford F-150, Lambos Star in New Radwood-Era Petersen Museum Exhibit
A new exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is showcasing icons of the 1980s and 1990s. Ultra-rare cars on show include the very first Buick GNX, the original DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future, and a one-of-one Nissan Skyline GT-R. It's the biggest Petersen exhibit so far this year, and there are even more '80s and '90s heroes to see throughout the museum. Remember the 1990s? Of course you do, it was just 10 years ago. Oh, wait, no it wasn't. No wonder our knees hurt. Well, should you remember the era of the Sony Discman and New Kids on the Block with fondness, the Petersen Automotive Museum has a great new exhibit for you. Along with a '92 Ford F-150 Flareside, pictured above with eye-popping paint and a cab spoiler, there are other Radwood-era eye candy, including iconic Lamborghinis such as an '85 Countach 5000S and '89 LM002. Read Our Review Petersen Automotive Museum A Radwood-Era Exhibit It's called 'Totally Awesome! Cars and Culture of the '80s and '90s,' and it's crammed with iconic vehicles that defined the era. This is a mainstage blowout experience, a Guns N' Roses touring with Aerosmith type of thing. The new exhibit features more than 13 classics that represent blockbuster movies, a world-beating performance, or the bedroom poster you had up next to the handbill from License to Drive. Petersen Automotive Museum On the Hollywood side of things, there's the original DeLorean DMC-12 time machine from Back to the Future, as well as the 1998 Beetle used in the Austin Powers franchise (also a time machine). Rally-car royalty is represented by a 1985 Audi Sport Quattro Group B car, and there's also the very first Buick GNX on display. Read Our Review Petersen Automotive Museum Perhaps most exciting are the supercars, which range from rare beasts like the Vector M12 and the sixteen-cylinder Cizeta Moroder V16T to the apex predator of them all, the McLaren F1. JDM culture will also be present with something of a mic drop moment: the NISMO Skyline GT-R LM homologation special built to allow Nissan to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There's only one in the world. Petersen Automotive Museum Read Our Review Petersen Automotive Museum Whether you're into Countachs or Corvettes, there's something for everyone here. Grab your denim jacket, hairspray the heck out of your hair, then get on down to the Petersen Museum. The exhibit opens Friday, June 6. Brendan McAleer Contributing Editor Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kendrick Lamar, SZA's Grand National Tour feels like a victory lap: Review
MINNEAPOLIS – Dissing Drake may have earned Kendrick Lamar his five latest Grammy wins, but "Not Like Us" is not the whole story. Lamar's well-earned victory lap is best measured by a packed stadium – a rare venue for a rapper – of 50,000 devotees enraptured by a barrage of his dynamic lyrics. The cerebral rapper, 37, and longtime collaborative pal SZA, 35, jumpstarted The Grand National Tour, their run of 39 stadium concerts in North America and Europe, April 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Through 2½-hours and 52 songs – most of them played in full – the pair showcased how dichotomous stagecraft and differing cadences can lead to a beautiful collision. It was a bit of a surprise that shortly after opener Mustard spun a 30-minute DJ set, the lyrics of 'Wacced Out Murals' filled the stadium, a black Buick GNX engulfed in smoke rose from beneath the stage and Lamar stepped out, dovetailing into the remainder of the song with natural cool. The staccato delivery of 'Squabble Up' and stomping beat of 'King Kunta' that followed suggested Lamar would perform a solo set and SZA would follow. But a couple of songs later, the Buick returned, this time covered in moss, with SZA perched atop. She and Lamar, in an ensemble of leather, denim and a knit cap, crisscrossed the stage, swapping lyrics on '30 for 30' and strolling down parallel ramps that led to the secondary stage dubbed the Energy Floor. This is the truest depiction of a co-headlining tour, as Lamar and SZA traded sets every few songs, his usually drenched in black and white and dimly lit and hers filled with images and costumes related to her bug fascination. , SZA setlist: All the songs on their Grand National Tour Lamar is one of the few rappers to anchor a stadium tour, but it's a natural escalation considering a career that has yielded six albums, a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018, 22 Grammy Awards – including five in February – and the most watched Super Bowl halftime performance in NFL history. Whether sitting pensively on a set of stairs for 'Euphoria' until a burst of pyro accelerated the song or roaming through a circle of sporty female dancers and spitting the rhymes of 'Humble' with relentless intensity, Lamar was riveting. His expressions of sideways grins and head shakes were spotlighted through a series of film clips shown throughout the show depicting Lamar being interrogated about the meaning of his lyrics and SZA (born Solána Imani Rowe) humorously explaining how to pronounce her stage name. One frustrating element of Lamar's production was difficulty seeing him in between shadowy lighting despite the Mission Control assembly of soundboards and video monitors at the back of the stadium floor. His artsy tendencies are appreciated, but they didn't always translate to the massive scope of a stadium production. Sometimes it would have been beneficial to witness the wind-up of 'Man at the Garden' or better see his hips moving a foot ahead of him as he sashayed around the stage for the deliberate flow of 'DNA.' While the crowd loaded with teens and twentysomethings seemed to relish the moments that Lamar and SZA shared the stage, rising on hydraulic platforms during the pure pop, hip-swiveling 'All the Stars' and closing the show with 'Luther' and 'Gloria,' there was no question which Lamar song prompted the ear-splitting screams. Pyro accompanied the creeping synth notes that are the underbelly of 'Not Like Us' and Lamar spat the wordy tale that served as the death blow in his beef with Drake. Lamar seemingly mocked Drake's 'drop drop drop' line from 'Family Matters' in a video played before the song, and bowed his head while holding out the mic to let fans handle the 'A minor' line, which was rendered with a roar. More: Would you use a payment plan to afford expensive concert tickets? Gen Z says yes. In between Lamar's fierce performances, SZA appealed to those in the crowd who were there to hear her soulful declarations of romance and endearing insecurity. Her catalog of ballads is appealing, but SZA flourished when blasting the rock-tinged 'Scorsese Baby Daddy' and the adrenalized 'F2F' while romping with a throng of dancers on a stage decorated like Mad Max set in a jungle. Her several costume changes included a green one-piece short set and knee pads and she delivered the first time we've seen a musician ride an animatronic ant like a horse, as SZA did with back bending glee during 'Kitchen.' There were numerous references to bugs and butterflies every time SZA commandeered the stage, and the visuals culminated when she stood center stage during 'Crybaby' in a towering white gown that expanded vertically, 'Defying Gravity'-style, until it fell away to show her suspended midair with virtual wings against a starry backdrop like a crimson-haired Tinker Bell as she segued into "Saturn." As Lamar and SZA round North America and Europe through August, they're sure to thread changes throughout the concerts. But what the Grand National Tour proved even at its inaugural show is that there is a place where intellect, audacity and soulfulness collide – and it's open all summer. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kendrick Lamar, SZA dominate on Grand National Tour: Review
Express Tribune
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Kendrick Lamar and SZA kick off their Grand National Tour with 52-song setlist in Minneapolis
Kendrick Lamar and SZA launched their much-anticipated Grand National Tour with a 45-song performance at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on 19 April 2025. Drawing a crowd of approximately 60,000, the event marked the beginning of a 39-date stadium tour that positions Lamar among the rare group of rappers capable of filling such massive venues. The opening show featured a 30-minute set by DJ Mustard, known for producing Lamar's recent track 'Not Like Us.' The main event commenced with Lamar emerging from beneath the stage in a Buick GNX, a nod to his current album GNX, starting with the track 'wacced out murals.' The concert was structured into seven acts, balancing solo performances and collaborations. Lamar and SZA alternated lead segments while joining forces on joint tracks. Despite the dimly lit stage design, the sound quality ensured clarity for both artists' vocals. Crowd engagement remained high throughout the 2.5-hour show, with deafening sing-alongs and widespread applause for both artists' solo and collaborative moments. With a total of 52 songs performed, the tour's debut highlighted the depth of both artists' catalogues and the scale of their joint appeal. Below is the full setlist from the first show of the Grand National Tour: Act I: Kendrick Lamar & SZA 'wacced out murals' 'squabble up' 'King Kunta' 'ELEMENT.' 'tv off (part 1)' '30 for 30' (with SZA) 'Love Galore' 'Broken Clocks' 'The Weekend' Act 2: Kendrick Lamar 'euphoria' 'hey now' 'reincarnated' 'HUMBLE.' 'Backseat Freestyle' 'family ties' 'Swimming Pools (Drank)' 'm.A.A.d city' 'Alright' 'man at the garden' Crosswords Promo January 2025 Act 3: SZA 'Scorsese Baby Daddy' 'F2F' 'Garden (Say It Like Dat)' 'Kitchen' 'Blind' 'Forgiveless' 'Low' Act 4: SZA and Kendrick Lamar 'Doves in the Wind' 'All the Stars' 'LOVE.' Act 5: Kendrick Lamar 'dodger blue' 'peekaboo' 'Like That' 'DNA.' 'GOOD CREDIT' 'Count Me Out' 'Money Trees' 'Poetic Justice' Act 6: SZA 'Diamond Boy (DTM)' 'Shirt' 'Kill Bill' 'Snooze' 'Crybaby' 'Saturn' 'Good Days' 'Rich Baby Daddy' 'BMF' 'Kiss Me More (Doja Cat cover)' Act 7: Kendrick Lamar and SZA 'bodies' 'tv off' 'Not Like Us' 'luther' 'gloria'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Kendrick Lamar's Halftime Show Said
The Super Bowl halftime show is an opportunity for big, dumb fun: explosions, laser shows, left sharks. But big, dumb fun isn't Kendrick Lamar's thing. The 37-year-old Los Angeles rapper and Pulitzer Prize winner prefers subtlety, smarts, and fun that's tinged with danger and unease. Amid tough, tense circumstances, he put on a tough, tense—and quite satisfying—show. The event framed itself in self-conscious terms. 'This is the great American game,' Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, announced at the start. He probably wasn't just referring to football. Lamar himself was about to run a familiar artistic gantlet: the struggle to keep one's integrity intact while entertaining the masses. The stage was set up in a tic-tac-toe design, and Jackson popped up at various times to score the proceedings. Lamar rapped with intense focus, nailing every bit of elegantly herky-jerky choreography. But his face also conveyed anxiety, even fear. We knew that he knew he was being watched. One of the people watching was Donald Trump, in attendance in New Orleans on a brief break from upending the federal government. Lamar is widely seen as the social conscience of his generation of rappers, and he knew he was expected to make a statement of some sort. 'The revolution's about to be televised,' Lamar announced early on. But he added, 'You picked the right time but the wrong guy.' One possible meaning: I'm not your revolutionary. It's the same message he's repeatedly conveyed on his albums over the years, replying to onlookers who want him to be more of a messiah than a musician. Even so, he flirted with politics during the performance. Lamar rapped from the hood of a Buick GNX—the car that he, on his latest album, has held up as a symbolic trophy of his struggle to survive the violence and poverty he was raised amid in gangland Compton. His dancers' red, white, and blue outfits evoked Crips and Bloods, which made it a bit stunning when they lined up to form an American flag, and raised their fists in what looked like the Black Power salute. Here was a vision of American pride from a group often locked out of the American dream. But also, here was a rapper playing that 'great American game,' provoking while staying patriotic. (A sharper bit of messaging was spelled out when one of Lamar's dancers unfurled a flag representing Gaza and Sudan. The performer was tackled by security; 'No one involved with the production was aware of the individual's intent,' the NFL said in a statement afterward.) Arguably the bigger risk Lamar took was in egging on his feud with Drake, which has embroiled the hip-hop world for nearly a year. Lamar has been riding a wave of acclaim for his diss track 'Not Like Us,' which catchily claims that Drake is a pedophile. Drake has denied the song's allegations and sued Universal Music Group, the label that the two rappers share, for promoting defamatory material. Lamar's song won Song of the Year and Record of the Year at last week's Grammys, but even so, it seemed possible that his own lawyers would forbid him from playing the song on live TV. [Read: The hip-hop halftime show was an overdue triumph] Lamar made a meal out of this suspense. 'I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,' he said midway through the set before a snippet of the track's beat played. When he finally launched into the full song, he scooted forward onstage as the camera moved backwards, as if he were stalking prey just behind the lens. When Lamar finally said Drake's name, he cocked his head and gave one of his only smiles of the night: a devious, cartoon-villain grin. This was the moment that the halftime show went from studious art piece to hall-of-fame-worthy TV. The arena hooted for the song's nastiest punch line alleging underage predilections: 'Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor.' Serena Williams, the tennis legend who happens to be one of Drake's exes, made a surprise appearance, clearly having a blast. In this rap battle, Lamar has styled himself as a force for good, a protector of hip-hop's authenticity. But as the halftime show reached its full, delirious peak, the weight of righteousness seemed to melt away—leaving, simply, a great entertainer. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Los Angeles Times
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kendrick Lamar televised ‘the revolution' during Super Bowl halftime performance. Here's what it meant
Standing atop a Buick GNX, rapper Kendrick Lamar warned, 'The revolution 'bout to be televised. You picked the right time, but the wrong guy.' Flipping Gil Scott-Heron's 1971 poem about Black liberation, 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,' (and possibly taking aim at President Trump, who was in attendance), Lamar utilized his 13-minute Super Bowl halftime performance to tell a uniquely American story — all while dissing Canadian rapper Drake. Fresh off a clean sweep at last weekend's Grammys, the 37-year-old Compton rapper elicited a slew of theories and interpretations, from both fans and peers, about his performance, which celebrated Black culture. As his dancers, dressed in red, white and blue, assembled to create a divided American flag, with Lamar at its center, his storytelling was subtle but powerful. Inside New Orleans' Caesars Superdome, actor Samuel L. Jackson appeared as Uncle Sam in a star-patterned top hat and introduced the crowd to 'the great American game.' Guiding the audience through halftime, he made remarks like 'Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto' after Lamar's performance of 'Squabble Up.' When longtime collaborator SZA joined the rapper to sing 'Luther' and 'All the Stars,' the Oscar-nominated song from 'Black Panther's' soundtrack, Jackson exclaimed, 'That's what America wants! Nice and calm.' The actor's performance and commentary led to comparisons to his Uncle Tom role in Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained,' where he played a loyal house slave named Stephen. Throughout the show, Lamar openly toyed with the idea of whether he would perform the Drake diss and L.A. anthem, 'Not Like Us,' saying, 'I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue' — referring to Drake's defamation lawsuit. But as the recognizable beat echoed, Lamar flashed a sly smile while rapping the line, 'Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young,' and let the audience fill in the blank, calling him a 'certified pedophile.' Rapper Flavor Flav was among the celebrities who took to X to praise the performance, writing, 'The way the WHOLE stadium just yelled 'A MINOOOOOOOOOORRRRR.' ' Ab-Soul, who's signed to Lamar's label, Top Dawg Entertainment, also wrote on X, 'BIG AS DA SUPER BOWL,' referencing Drake's 'First Person Shooter' — the track that instigated the feud between the rappers. Doechii, who was recently won top rap album at the Grammys, congratulated SZA and Kendrick, saying, 'So proud of yall so inspired.' Also, during his performance of 'Not Like Us,' the camera flipped to show tennis star Serena Williams crip-walking. After receiving backlash for doing the same dance in 2012 following her Olympic win, the fellow Compton native brought the dance back for the big game. The athlete was also rumored to be in a relationship with Drake in the early 2010s. After years of speculated disses by Drake in songs like 'Worst Behavior' and 'Nothings Into Somethings,' Williams took the opportunity to perform with his biggest adversary. Lamar ended the show with an electric performance of 'TV Off.' Joined by collaborator DJ Mustard, it was a full-circle moment in which he called for viewers to turn away from distractions and focus on the reality around them. Mike Carson, co-creative director and production designer of the halftime performance, told Wired that the stage had a video game motif. The performance spaces in the shape of Xs, Os and triangles resembled PlayStation controller buttons. The performance concluded with the words 'GAME OVER' spelled out in the crowd — referencing both the game and his beef with Drake.
