Imagine if the two artists behind the number one song on the Billboard charts right now went on tour together. Imagine one of them just headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show and won five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Imagine the other’s most recent album breaking records for the biggest streaming week ever for an R&B album by a woman. Luckily, fans don’t have to imagine it, because on this year’s the Grand National Tour, Kendrick Lamar and SZA are doing exactly that.
In the same week their song “luther” spent its 13th consecutive week atop the Billboard Hot 100, the duo headlined SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. It was a marathon of a show, with Lamar and SZA taking turns performing sets, then coming together for joint performances.
The show was structured so that Lamar opened with a solo set, followed by SZA, and then they’d switch back and forth. They also had a couple of shared segments where they performed duets. Lamar made a dramatic entrance, stepping out of a car onstage and launching into “wacced out murals.” His solo sets were intense and precise, with him hitting every lyric and every naturally choreographed step with sharp focus. His backup dancers were stunning, especially during a moment on a large staircase where they flowed around him in perfect unison.
Throughout the night, SZA and Lamar delivered hits “f2f,” “Kiss Me More,” and “The Weekend,” alongside Lamar’s hits such as “HUMBLE.,” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” and “Alright.” SZA’s portion of the show kicked off with a performance alongside Lamar, and seeing them together onstage felt almost surreal. Like many fans, I’ve always known them as two of the biggest solo artists, so watching them side by side gave me chills (literally) when they walked out for “30 for 30” during SZA’s set, then again for the first song of their joint set for “Doves In The Wind.” SZA’s voice, vulnerable, commanding, and emotionally rich, blended beautifully with Lamar’s steady, thoughtful delivery. Live, the pairing felt even more powerful than it does on their recordings.
They also performed their megahit “All The Stars,” with Lamar looking up at SZA standing on a tall platform, dancing and singing some of her parts with longer, more powerful notes. It brought a new kind of energy to a song the audience knew by heart, and watching them face each other made a larger than life song feel almost instead like an intimate conversation.
In classic Los Angeles fashion, SZA surprised the crowd by bringing out Lizzo to perform their track “Special.” The energy in the stadium spiked as fans sang along and the two artists danced together, and you could see how much fun they were having. Something I noticed about SZA throughout the show is that whenever she shared the stage with a friend (Lizzo and Lamar), she would bounce off of the other with ease and a complimentary energy to whoever she was with. Solo and duetting, she was equally magnetic, just in different ways, one a sharing of a moment and the other, her creating one.
SZA continued with fan favorites “Snooze,” “Nobody Gets Me,” and “Good Days.” My personal favorite was “Nobody Gets Me,” during which she soared into the air with fairy wings and a changing sky backdrop behind her. As she sang, “It’s too late/I don’t wanna lose what’s left of you/How am I supposed to tell ya?/I don’t wanna see you with anyone but me/Nobody gets me like you … Only like myself when I’m with you/Nobody gets me, you do.” During it, I thought to myself that the penning of emotional accuracy in the song made it feel perfect.
Lamar then returned for his final solo set, saving his biggest songs for last. The crowd erupted at “tv off,” shouting every lyric, especially the line, “All I ever wanted was a Black Grand National/Fuck being rational, give ’em what they ask for.” Then, the energy really exploded when “Not Like Us” began. It was the loudest moment of the night. Lamar’s dancers swung around him as he delivered lines with an energy that felt like he was saying them for the first time. It was quite an experience hearing a packed stadium yell “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” and “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” as Lamar held his mic away to the audience. “They not like us, they not like us, they not like us.”
The night ended with one final joint set, featuring “luther” and “gloria.” It was a heartfelt finale. The two artists exchanged praise, clearly moved by the night and the crowd. It was hard not to be.
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