Latest news with #TheGrandNationalTour
The South African
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Kendrick Lamar smashes touring records with 'Grand National Tour'
Kendrick Lamar has done it again. The Compton-born rapper, already a legend, just made history with his 'Grand National Tour'. Kendrick has become the first rapper to have multiple tours in the top five highest-grossing hip-hop tours of all time. 'The Grand National Tour' has already grossed over R2.19 billion, overtaking his own 'Big Steppers Tour', which earned R2.16 billion in 2023. Industry experts now predict it will rake in over R6.8 billion by the end, smashing Drake's previous record and setting a new bar for the genre. Kendrick Lamar kicked off the tour in Minneapolis, where he and SZA pulled in a record R177 million from just one night. Houston saw another record: R184 million in a single show. Seattle? An eye-watering R288 million, with nearly 61,000 fans in attendance. It was the the largest crowd yet, according to Hot New HipHop. The tour isn't just about Kendrick, as SZA, his co-headliner, also brings her own magic. Their chemistry on stage is electric, and together, they've dominated the charts. SZA's SOS album even dethroned Michael Jackson's record for the longest-running #1 album in Billboard history. Fans have been treated to unforgettable duets, including 30 for 30 and Luther , as well as Kendrick's viral diss tracks Euphoria and Not Like Us . Kendrick Lamar enjoys immense popularity in South Africa, consistently ranking among the country's most-streamed international artists. According to Spotify's 2024 data, Kendrick was one of the top-streamed artists in South Africa. Kendrick Lamar's influence is further underscored by his streaming dominance. He surpassed 5 billion Spotify streams globally in just the first four months of 2025. This demonstrated his enduring relevance and reach among South African listeners and beyond. At SoFi Stadium, Kendrick reflected on the journey. 'They always claim you're the most subdued audience across the globe. I swear they say that,' he told the crowd. 'But for the last two nights, I believe we have transformed their entire viewpoint worldwide.' With the tour's momentum, the world is watching. Kendrick Lamar makes history, one sold-out stadium at a time. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
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
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Kendrick Lamar, SZA's Grand National Tour feels like a victory lap: Review
Kendrick Lamar, SZA's Grand National Tour feels like a victory lap: Review Show Caption Hide Caption Kendrick Lamar controversial halftime show features Serena Williams Serena Williams joined Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl halftime show. Lamar performed his diss track "Not Like Us," about Williams' ex, Drake. 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 60,000 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 2 ½-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. Kendrick Lamar, 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 'Saturn' 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 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.
