The Grand National Tour | Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s Pit Stop in Toronto
Kendrick and SZA’s second night at the Rogers Centre was one for the books
Kendrick Lamar and SZA wrapped up their stop in Toronto with a stellar second concert on Friday, June 13th. As they continue their Grand National Tour throughout the year in support of their respective albums GNX and Lana, the duo pulled no punches as they delivered an outstanding performance inside one of Toronto’s biggest stadiums.
Considering it was their second night in Toronto, I was worried that both artists would half-ass it, but I was dead wrong. The energy was on-point as they maintained the momentum for the entire 3 hour setlist. Followed up by the insane vigor of the crowd, Kendrick and SZA’s night in Toronto was one for the books.
Like any concert, the first stop I’m making is straight to the merch booth. Being this was night 2, I was already expecting there to not be so much merch and there seldom was. Luckily I was able to grab 2 t-shirts for both my girlfriend and myself. What surprised me right away was the quality. Typically tour t-shirts feel really flimsy and cheap, but the shirts we got were sturdy, here’s hoping they can keep that same quality once they go through the laundry a few times.
The overall aesthetic seems to resemble old-school body shop artwork and classic airbrushed graffiti you’d see in parts of L.A. (particulalry tattoo shops). The designs pay homage to Kendrick’s hometown and they stand out in comparision to the merch for his Big Steppers tour in 2022, which felt a little hapzard and bland to me.
Upon arrival you’re also given a laminated Grand National tour ticket as a keepsake. This was the first show I’ve been to where I was given one of these and personally more artists should consider doing this. It’s a nice souvenir plus it includes a QR code to visit the online store, should you want to purchase more merch.
Preceding the concert, Mustard got the vibes going with a 30 min playlist, shuffling between tracks he produced in the past (“Migos’ “Pure Water”) and some throwbacks (“DMX’s “Party Up”). Before signing off, he would surprise the audience by playing FUN’s “We Are Young” and Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”. It made for a good laugh but the audience loved it.
Now onto the main event. The Grand National tour follows a rough plot, mainly revolving around Kendrick and SZA travelling in a Buick Grand National, making pit stops along the way on a road trip. Interspersed between the set lists you get these short video snippets of either one of them, as well as these recorded depositions of each artist, acting as a segueway into their performances.
These visual components were never too minimal nor maximal. However I will admit that the sound quality for these video pieces was abysmal. It might have been because of our seats (the 200s section in the Rogers Centre) but it was quite hard to understand what was being said. It sucks because I’m pretty sure there was a lot of clever commentary and jokes being made that I missed out on.
The stage design took up a solid portion of the Rogers Centre, resembling an octagon. the main center stage had two screens that was large enough for anybody to see no matter where you were sat. There were also two pathways on the right and left side of the stage where the artists/backup dancers could move around on. The aforementioned screens would also provide these animated graphics (mainly for Kendrick’s setlist) with different quotes and caligraphy.
In terms of the songs, The Grand National Tour is mainly comprised of songs from both GNX and Lana, as well as any of their greatest hits. Matter of fact Kendrick performed the entirety of GNX save for “the heart pt.6” and the album’s title track. Both Kendrick and SZA took turns performing, and would both appear together leading towards the show’s end for tracks like “All The Stars” and “luther”.
Both artists performed incredibly well like I said previously, it’s hard for me to pick who I liked more as both of them were great! Kendrick’s rapping was stellar and the way he controlled the crowd and got everybody moving and grooving was insane. Whenever he was onstage, he had everybody out of their seats. Some highlights include the fiery rendition of his verse on Future’s “Like That”, the Anita Baker sampled flip on his classic song “M.A.A.D. City”, and the crowd engaging “MUSTARD!!” moment during “tv off”.
As for SZA, her performances were equally as great too. Her live singing sounded amazing, hitting all the notes perfectly and not missing a beat. Her time onstage was also the most visually intensive as she was usually accompanied by back-up dancers dressed as insects, as well as a life-sized ant that she would ride admist a backdrop resembling a forest. Highights of her performances include the rock-influenced switch up on “Scorcese Baby Daddy”, the bass heavy flows of “Low”, and the ethereal Disney inspired aesthetics of “Crybaby”.
Now for the big question on everyone’s mind: What about the Drake beef? I’m not going to go into the specifics, but it’s suffice to say that Kendrick’s performance in Toronto was the final nail in the coffin for their feud. If his victory wasn’t acknowledeged last year, it most certainly was on Friday night. Imagine performing in your rival’s hometown in their city’s biggest stadium 2 nights in a row? It should also be mentioned that Drake has never performed in the Rogers Centre (at least to my knowledge), so that just makes this moment even more memorable.
As soon as the audience heard that infamous line “Shh, I see dead people”, the crowed erupted in cheers and applause as Kendrick began performing “Not Like Us”, one of the few songs signalling the concert’s end. Getting to hear this monumental track live, and witnessing the sheer joy in the audience as they c-walked and rapped along with Kendrick was a delight.
Following his performance, Kendrick stood in silence with nothing but a sole spotlight shining on him. With his arms placed in front, he simply watched as the entire crowed chanted “One more time! One more time!”, eagerly hoping for him to run the track back again. The last time I saw Torontonians cheer on a victory lap like this was when the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Finals in 2019.
It was this moment that made it abundantly clear to me that nobody (and I mean nobody) has respect for Aubrey Graham anymore. Not even the city that he claims has any ounce of compassion. That isn’t to say that the so-called OVO goons didn’t try to start some ruckus, as there were reports of Drake fanboys attempting to protest at both Toronto shows to no avail. Even Drake himself had something to say to former Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh, who was at the show (and who has now weirdly apologized to Drizzy for attending a concert he paid money to go see.).
All in all, and regardless of the Drake beef, Kendrick and SZA’s second concert in Toronto was nothing short of amazing. Both artists did an incredible job with their performances. This was a real superstar moment for both musicians, as they gave it their all to create an amazing night for all that attended. This was my very first time seeing both Kendrick Lamar and SZA live, and if this is the norm for all of their live concerts then goddamn I need to see them again very soon.
