3 days ago
Review: Kendrick Lamar, SZA bring ‘Grand National Tour' to SF
(KRON) – Kendrick Lamar and SZA gave Oracle Park a performance so electrifying San Franciscans didn't cringe when the headliners referred to the city as 'San Fran'– multiple times.
The duo brought their 'Grand National Tour' to SF on Thursday night. Switching off sets, K. Dot (Lamar) and the songstress gave a great balance of both catalogs. The show commenced with a video of the artists on a 1987 Buick GNX, followed by the first track of Lamar's latest album 'GNX' 'Wacced out Murals.'
Much of the audience wasn't as familiar with Lamar's records that were not distributed on the radio, but knew most of the lyrics to Mr. Morale's latest album. A Salt Lake City resident told that he and his wife were watching this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show and said, 'We have to see this guy.'
The stage artwork and visuals for both artists were intricate and detailed. From hilarious skits of being interviewed with questions about their biggest personal and professional criticisms, to home videos dating back more than 30 years and a glimpse of Mr. Morale's hometown, the visuals were intimate, but told a story.
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Despite both SZA and Lamar having completely different album concepts, the overlap of the skits was coherent.
The best word to describe SZA's stage set and performance was whimsical. The stage was decked with plants, bugs and fairies. She even straddled a giant fake bug while singing.
The songstress performed one of former President Barack Obama's favorite melodies, 'Broken Clocks,' along with her Grammy Award-winning duet with Doja Cat, 'Kiss Me More,' and many more of her hits.
'This arena feels different,' SZA said to the viewers, '… Or is it that San Fran feels different?' The question made the audience cheer louder.
The audience's memories quickly transformed from memories of being scorned into thoughts of being madly in love as SZA switched ballads from 'Kill Bill' to 'Snooze.' Her 2022 'SOS' album returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this year, reigning for 13 weeks.
Fellow Los Angeles native DJ Mustard joined Lamar on stage for 'TV Off,' where the crowd roared, 'Mustard,' which was almost louder than spectators singing 'a minor' from 'Not Like Us.' Even though the crowd was loudest at those moments, the highlight of the night was the duo performing 'All the Stars.' Fans from atop beamed their lights in unison, illuminating the ballpark.
The second-to-last performed song, 'Luther,' was just dethroned as the top song on Billboard, but it hogged the top spot for 13 weeks. 'Gloria' was the final song of the night. The show closed with the two getting back in the boxed old-school Buick and saying goodbye to San Francisco.
Las Vegas is the next stop of the tour on Saturday, May 31.
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