{"id":157305,"date":"2025-05-10T18:05:47","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T22:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/05\/10\/kendrick-lamar-sza-bring-grand-national-tour-to-new-jerseys-metlife-stadium-10-best-moments\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T18:05:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T22:05:47","slug":"kendrick-lamar-sza-bring-grand-national-tour-to-new-jerseys-metlife-stadium-10-best-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/05\/10\/kendrick-lamar-sza-bring-grand-national-tour-to-new-jerseys-metlife-stadium-10-best-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"Kendrick Lamar & SZA Bring Grand National Tour to New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium: 10 Best\u00a0Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tIt\u2019s been more than a year since Kendrick Lamar<\/a> upended the rap game and significantly altered the course of popular culture with \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d the five-time Grammy-winning, Billboard Hot 100<\/a>-topping knockout punch in his monthslong battle against Drake<\/a>. If the feverish crowd at New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium on Friday night (May 10) was anything to go by, K.Dot\u2019s ongoing domination isn\u2019t likely to subside anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\n\tLamar and SZA<\/a>, former TDE labelmates and both global superstars in their own rights, graced the NYC-area venue for their second of two shows in East Rutherford, N.J., on their blockbuster Grand National Tour. One of the most ambitious treks in hip-hop history, the Grand National Tour is a towering achievement.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kendrick<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tKendrick Lamar & SZA’s ‘Luther’ No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 for 11th\u00a0Week\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n

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\n\tFrom mainstream-conquering smashes (\u201cLuther,\u201d \u201cHumble,\u201d \u201cDNA\u201d) to headier deep cuts from his latest Billboard 200<\/a> chart-topper (\u201cMan at the Garden,\u201d \u201cReincarnated\u201d), Lamar meticulously presented hip-hop as stadium-sized theater. He didn\u2019t do so by relying on flashy production or set design; instead, he stripped hip-hop down to its five founding pillars, laying bare the incomparable art form that is emceeing on a hot mic.<\/p>\n

\n\tKicking things off with GNX<\/em> opener \u201cWacced Out Murals,\u201d Lamar launched the nearly three-hour extravaganza all on his lonesome. Lamar and SZA traded sets bridged by beloved duets like \u201cDoves in the Wind,\u201d \u201cAll the Stars\u201d and the more recent \u201c30 for 30 Freestyle.\u201d Though both artists sourced the bulk of their sets from their most recent releases (GNX <\/em>for Lamar and SOS Deluxe: LANA<\/em> for SZA), they also held space for their respective catalogs. Lamar rapped the opening verse of \u201cSwimming Pools\u201d completely a cappella for his \u201cday ones\u201d; SZA frequently shouted out her \u201cCtrl<\/em> babies\u201d before performing cuts like \u201cGarden (Say It Like Dat)\u201d and \u201cBroken Clocks,\u201d and she pulled Zacari<\/a>\u2018s weight for a sweet rendition of Lamar\u2019s \u201cLove.\u201d<\/p>\n

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SZA performs on the opening night of the Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar on April 19, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n\tAcross a stage reminiscent of the video game controller setup of Lamar\u2019s landmark Super Bowl LIX halftime show<\/a>, the Grand National Tour\u2019s set design is largely minimalistic, save for a stair platform placed at the center of the stage. Despite a few levitating mini-platforms and a flying fairy moment for SZA, the true centerpiece of the Grand National stage was the literal GNX that helped the set transition between each set. When Kendrick first hit the stage, the black GNX stood as it does on the album cover, but by the time SZA hit her set, the vehicle transformed into a grassy, fauna-laden ride that nodded to the insect aesthetic of the LANA <\/em>era. At the show\u2019s close (\u201cGloria\u201d), Lamar opened the passenger door for SZA like a consummate gentleman and joined her in the car as they wished the packed stadium safe travels home.<\/p>\n

\n\tBoth a wildly impressive victory lap and the progeny of over a decade of grueling work from both Lamar and SZA, the Grand National Tour saw two of the most defining artists of the 2010s operating at the height of their powers while ensuring hip-hop always remains at the center.<\/p>\n

\n\tHere are the 10 best moments from their Grand National Tour stop at MetLife Stadium.<\/p>\n