Written by Hunter Bishop
One of the most anticipated concerts since the Eras Tour for a lot of the world, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s collaborative, Grand National Tour (GNX), did not disappoint.
We raced after work to make it to the Detroit show on time and immediately went for the merch stand. After waiting in line for 40 minutes and through DJ Mustard’s opening set, I finally had my beautifully designed graphic tee. The ones you get at concerts that have all of the tour dates and you want to wear the next day out in public just so people know where you were the night before. TikTok had hyped up the merch and they weren’t lying. There were so many good options to choose from and the long wait was worth it. Thankfully, the way that Detroit’s venue is set up, we could actually see some of Mustard’s set from the hall and there was no way we were avoiding the sounds. I wouldn’t have wanted to anyway – his set was full of bangers and had so much energy. Sound carries in that building and it doesn't matter if you were standing outside or right up by the stage, you’re hearing all of the performances. Everything about GNX day was so hyped from start to finish.
Whenever I go to concerts, the best moment for me is the build up of anticipation for the artist to make their initial appearance. There’s something about when the lights go low and an instrumental track starts to play that nothing else can beat. The crowd starts screaming in excitement and you just know you’re moments away from seeing the music you love come to life before your eyes. That feeling right there is why I continue to buy concert tickets. It’s why I’ve been to over two dozen shows, seeing dozens of artists. And it’s why I only have two months left until I see Tate McRae.
As soon as we found our seats, the opening lines for “wacced out murals” began, the crowd went wild. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Instantly, everyone’s attention went to the flickering lights, building music, and fog that was setting the stage for Kendrick Lamar’s opening appearance on stage. For the next three hours, we went bar-for-bar with Kendrick, sang every lyric for SZA, and danced around to all of our favorite hits. The crowd's energy was infectious and everyone in my section held that energy from start to finish. Even Kendrick commented on how hyped we were.
The night continued by alternating between Kendrick’s solo sets, SZA’s solo sets, and their fan-favorite collaborations. They both gave each other space to express themselves as artists, individually, and then bounced off of each other’s energy so smoothly when performing together to really highlight the years and depth of their friendship.
We got to hear songs from throughout their whole careers. From classic tracks of Kendrick’s like “Alright,” “Swimming Pools,” and “Humble,” to his newer tracks like “man at the garden” and “peekaboo.” And, of course, he played the tracks from the beef with Drake: “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us.” The crowd was so loud for those, especially the iconic lines that were all over the internet.
From SZA, we also got to hear early tracks like “Love Galore” and “Good Days.” She also played newer songs like the crowd favorite “Nobody Gets Me,” “Scorsese Baby Daddy,” and “F2F.” Her vocals were angelic, per usual.
One of the best things that came from them touring together was getting to hear their collaborations. Sometimes when I’ve gone to concerts, I only get to hear one side of the collaboration and always wonder what the energy would be like if both artists were present. For this concert, I got to experience that with tracks like “30 for 30,”“Luther,” “All The Stars,” and “Doves In The Wind.”
The transitions between songs were so smooth that there were times you could barely tell the song changed until the lyrics hit solely because they kept interweaving the instrumentals for all of the songs throughout the performance. Those teases of songs kept the energy up as it got everyone so excited to hear certain songs and when it was finally played all the way through, the crowd was belting the lyrics in excitement. Every song brought more energy and no one wanted the night to end.
The set was unforgettable. A lot of the set pieces and notable backdrops were all done by way of screens that had a muralistic and, at times, 3D effect. Each song had a story to tell and the screens visually helped portray that by showing relevant art pieces to go along with each song and acting as moving set pieces. It was a really clever way to keep the show moving at a quick pace while still providing a performance to the audience.
As someone who has been a long time listener of Kendrick, I know that with any song and performance he creates, there’s always layers of hidden meanings to look out for. And so much of the muralistic artwork he portrayed not only brought on aesthetic backgrounds to give pleasing visuals while they performed, but also held a lot of cultural roots derived from black history and culture. I loved seeing that aspect visually incorporated since so many of his lyrics pull from that space to create these beautiful and impactful pieces of art.
All of the dancers brought so much life, personality, and energy to their own performances and to each song. They had the outfits. They had confidence. And they definitely had all of our attention. They were all beyond talented and were a highlight of the night.
The GNX tour was unforgettable and has definitely made its way to the top of my favorite concerts list. Both SZA and Kendrick are such incredible artists who not only sing their songs well but give genuine and meaningful performances.
