By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
SAN FRANCISCO — If there was a meeting in the ladies room, it broke up quick, fast and in a hurry as music piped in, signalling Kendrick Lamar’s early arrival on stage.
The booming refrain of “wacced out murals” from Lamar’s “GNX” album evoked screams that had nothing to do with discovering there’s no toilet paper in your stall.
Missing a beat of the highly anticipated Grand National Tour would be unacceptable. More than 40,000 fans filled San Francisco’s Oracle Park last week for a show that featured Lamar and co-headliner SZA. The performances, highlighted by pyrotechnics, were indeed fire.
As co-headliners, each artist had equal time to shine on their own and cleverly interjected songs the two have done together to segue into their individual sets. While the audience definitely matched the performers line for line, thankfully, they didn’t simply let the crowd sing for them.
The tour follows Lamar’s epic Super Bowl halftime show, which centered on his larger-than-life diss track, “Not Like Us.” He performed the hit closer to the end of the concert, whetting fans’ whistles first with other tracks like “Euphoria,” “Reincarnated,” “Humble,” and “DNA.”
As they did at the Super Bowl, SZA and Lamar performed their songs “All the Stars” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack and the chart-topper, “Luther,” which appears on Lamar’s current GNX” album.
The blend of the two artists was also demonstrated by the onstage presence of a 1987 Buick GNX, which holds personal significance to Lamar, as it’s said to be the model his father drove him in after he was born that year. The car was draped in green vines as a nod to SZA’s earth mama vibes.
SZA’s star is also on the rise as she released her reissued “SOS Deluxe: Lana” album in 2024 and starred opposite Keke Palmer in this year’s comedic film, “One of Them Days.” She kept it cute with several wig and wardrobe changes during her set that included performances of “Garden (Say It Like Dat),” “Open Arms,” and “I Hate U.” I didn’t quite understand why the singer started gyrating on a giant mechanical ant she referred to as Anthony but, hey, to each her own.
While Lamar is proudly from Compton and SZA grew up in New Jersey, they easily matched the Bay Area energy. Lamar honored Mac Dre, the late Oakland rapper known for popularizing hyphy music culture, with a tribute performance. During the song, giant dashboard dice were displayed, referencing the cars used in sideshows, a phenomenon closely tied to the music.
Local fans were also delighted to see Sacramento’s own Kida the Great on stage as one of Lamar’s background dancers. The past “So You Think You Can Dance” winner, who also performed with Lamar during the Super Bowl halftime show, has also danced with Usher and Chris Brown.
The all-stadium GNX tour moves on to St. Louis. Chicago, Detroit, Washington D.C. and Toronto (wonder how the verbal attack on rapper Drake will go over there) before ending in Europe in August.