The last 365 calendar days have belonged to Kendrick Lamar.
A year ago, his highly publicized spar with fellow artist Drake sparked an intense personal exchange of diss tracks, which included the now-viral “Not Like Us,” winning Lamar five Grammy awards.
Following a record-breaking Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, Lamar and five-time Grammy-winning R&B superstar, SZA, announced their Grand National Tour, a 39-location, international experience, and a tour that joins a short history of rappers doing stadium shows.
Rap legend Jay-Z has twice taken the stadium stage, but joined by Beyonce and Justin Timberlake on either occasion. Similarly, Detroit native Eminem shared a stadium tour with Rhianna, and this summer, Chris Brown will kick off his stadium venture, “Breezy Bowl XX,” joined by multiple R&B artists.
In a similar fashion to Jay-Z’s and Justin Timberlake’s “Legends of the Summer” stadium tour, both Kendrick Lamar and SZA are fresh off one of the best years of both of their careers. The artists have garnered highly successful commercial and critical reception for their respective albums, “GNX,” and “SOS Deluxe: Lana.”
On Monday, May 5, 2025, the two global superstars shared the stage at Lincoln Financial Field, marking another successful stop on their tour. Delivering an emotionally charged and visually transcendent performance, Kendrick and SZA left the over 50,000 fans in awe and inspired, following a nearly three-hour show featuring eight acts, over 50 songs, and an encore.
Following a 30-minute opening set from DJ Mustard that featured iconic tracks of his own and from fellow artists, Kendrick took the stage, rising out of the ground in the now iconic GNX Buick.
Out stepped Lamar dressed in heavy camo pants, a black leather jacket and a backwards hat to perform “Wacced Out Murals,”(a track from his new album) igniting the crowd with lyrical and physical fire. His first act served as a thesis statement with five tracks spanning three of his six albums, blending together eras and styles.
He then tore through “Squabble Up,” also from “GNX,” before transitioning to “King Kunta,” an iconic track from his 2015 album, “To Pimp a Butterfly”. Sticking with tracks from his earlier albums, Lamar then blended the aforementioned track into “ELEMENT” from “DAMN,” before closing out the first act, bringing the show back to the present with “TV OFF.”
Then came SZA.
Rising out of the same Buick, this time covered in vines, she entered to the song “30 for 30,” commanding the stadium with her powerful yet serene presence. Dressed in green, earthy tones, she brought a vulnerability and softness that beautifully contrasted with Lamar’s force without ever feeling secondary.
Her first set included hits like “Love Galore,” “Broken Clocks” and “The Weekend,” before taking the audience through some deeper cuts during her second solo set, proving she did not need to rely on just her greatest hits to captivate the crowd. While giving an emotional and powerful vocal performance, she incorporated unique, nature-inspired large-scale props, including riding a giant ant to further stun Lincoln Financial Field.
The two artists took inspiration from hip-hop/r&b collaborative stadium tours of the past, having the finale be not just one, but both artists. Lamar’s first solo set transitioned seamlessly to SZA’s through their shared track “30 for 30.” Later in the show, following a pair of solo sets from both artists, the two came together for iconic older tracks like “All the Stars,” and “LOVE,” before combining again for the encore, where Lamar and SZA sang “GNX” chart-toppers like “luther” and “gloria.”
The balance of their performance was incredibly intentional, down to their respective outfit changes. Kendrick truly embodied what it means to be a popstar, following in fellow Los Angeles resident Tupac’s steps with multiple outfit changes throughout the show. At the same time, SZA’s wardrobe told a story of transformation, starting in green, earthy tones with a surrealist set display of nature. Later on, came out in a large fairy princess dress, before the iridescent gown transformed into a cocoon, where she sang on stilts before being rebirthed and flying through the air, symbolizing personal growth and renewal.
Their visuals were more than just props, they were key to the storytelling woven throughout each act with intentional symbolism to seemingly perfect execution.
In the pair’s first six stops of the tour, they generated over $60 million in revenue, with the opening Minneapolis show breaking the record for the highest-grossing hip-hop show. Kendrick and SZA are not just touring, they are making history, changing fans’ expectations for what future stadium shows should look like.