On May 12, artists SZA and Kendrick Lamar performed for thousands at Gillette Stadium as part of their Grand National Tour. The two recently began touring together as a means to promote their new albums: Lamar’s GNX and SZA’s SOS Deluxe: LANA. Their latest collaboration, “luther,” has reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, in part because of this tour. Although the show’s purpose is promoting these releases, SZA and Lamar also performed older hits like SZA’s “All The Stars” and Lamar’s “HUMBLE.”
The concert’s average ticket price was 206 dollars, but prices ranged from as low as 79 dollars to as high as 600 dollars, according to MassLive. The concert started at 7:00 P.M. with DJ Mustard as the opener, who has been a frequent collaborator on Lamar’s albums, such as GNX. The entire show ended up being 2.5 hours long, with the duo performing a whopping 50 songs, including two encore performances of their hits “luther” and “gloria.”
The show’s visuals reflected the upbeat nature of SZA and Lamar’s blended discography. Brigitte Currier (III) comments, “I was worried that I wouldn’t like Kendrick’s part since I don’t really like his music, but SZA and Kendrick flowed really well together.”
Displays of fireworks, flames, lights and digital effects brought the performance to life. Beyond the special effects, SZA and Lamar’s outfits added to the aesthetic of their performance and bore deeper messages. During the show, SZA changed outfits and transformed into a butterfly, symbolizing not only how her career has transformed since the early days of her music, but also how she has matured emotionally through every stage of her life. Her costumes also symbolized the rebirth of her previous album, SOS, with the introduction of the deluxe version. Through the dynamic visuals and costumes, SZA and Lamar demonstrated their creativity and unique artistic perception of music.
There is no doubt that Boston showed its love to SZA and Lamar, as the audience was said to be loudest out of all of their performances on the tour thus far. Victoria Demarco (II), an attendee of the concert, recounts, “[SZA and Lamar] said ‘Our show was six decibels louder than other shows,’” further noting that it was so loud that it was hard to even hear them speak.
Fans’ admiration for SZA extended beyond the concert as well, as many showed up for a pop-up promotion of her lip collection, ‘Not Beauty,’ before the show. Fans were able to meet SZA as she made an appearance, which was part of an effort to interact with her fans and meet people who have supported her even since her earliest project, Z.
The Grand National Tour stands as a landmark event in music. Spanning across 39 stadiums in North America and Europe, the tour showcases both of the artists’ individuality and creative expertise, while also creating an unforgettable experience. Ava Phan (III) states, “The concert was an amazing experience that featured memorable moments and storytelling.”