Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on May 8, 2025. Photo by Cassidy Meyers.

SAN FRANCISCO —  The victory lap for Kendrick Lamar seems to keep going and going. From a definitive victory in a rap beef against Drake to the Super Bowl halftime show, Lamar’s Grand National stadium tour feels like icing on a cake. His show at Oracle Park with SZA on Thursday wove the music of both together as the two bounced back and forth and sometimes came together over the course of two and a half hours.

The format, at least structurally, felt like Justin Timberlake and Jay Z’s collaborative set at Candlestick Park in 20216.

The sold-out concert will likely go down as one of the top tickets of the year, the city buzzing with energy hours before the first note was even played. It didn’t take long for that energy to be unleashed with fiery opening track “wacced out murals.” It was filled with pyro, especially at the start, from blasts of fire to fireworks shooting into the sky.

“I go by the name K-Dot Kendrick Lamar,” Lamar announced early on. “This is the Grand National Tour and we in the Bay.”

The Grand National is a reference to the car, as well as Lamar’s most recent album, GNX. The Buick was a set piece throughout the show. The first act was all about building energy before the sun had set. Songs like “King Kunta” had the crowd moving and a partial version of “tv off” primed the pump, stopping just short of its most memorable line. SZA arrived with a similar flair on “30 For 30.” The set design allowed for a change in the visual aesthetic between the two performers, SZA began with a backdrop of ivy and a hues of brown and green, while Lamar was all about quick flashy visuals appearing on screen.

The two cohesively melded they songs together, keeping a quick pace with little downtime between set changes. The production was massive with screen running the width of the stage, opening in the middle to reveal more set pieces and a pit of fans surrounded by a ramp in the front. SZA’s first solo act included“Love Galore” and “The Weekend.”

For the tracks when dancers joined Lamar, the choreography was similar to that of the Super Bowl halftime show. The rapper’s second set kicked into high gear with “hey now” and “reincarnated” made way for classics like “HUMBLE” and “Backseat Freestyle,” the latter getting. big crowd reaction. Then, he mashed up “mA.A.d city” with Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love” and added fuel to the fire with “Alright.” At more than 50 songs, the sheer ambition of the set last was impressive.

“I was just in my hometown, I gotta make sure I came to the Bay, “ Lamar said. He didn’t say much all night but referenced the Bay Area numerous times.  He climbed atop the Grand National for “Man at the Garden,” fading to black and giving way again to SZA. She was joined by a guitarist to solo (presumably, there was a band backstage somewhere).

SZA’s and Lamar’s first combined set was fantastic. “Doves in the Wine” was effective while “All the Stars” brought cheers and a loud singalong. Each took a corner of the diamond pit catwalk, building tension as they met at the corner closest to the crowd.

Despite being in the home of the Giants, Kendrick Lamar opened his next solo set with “Dodger Blue.” SZA’s next set placed her among the foliage with dancers dressed as ants following each step. “Kill Bill” went over well, leading into “BMF” and “Kiss Me More.”

Lamar then brought the show home with his final solo set with what most people were probably waiting for. Opening with “N95,”he welcomed DJ Mustard to the stage to help with the “mustard!” battle cry.  Then, cultural phenomenon “Not Like Us” had roughly all 40,000lo people dancing and shouting the memorable lines—“A MInor!”—in unison. The performance emptied the trucks of pyro, shooting small rockets upward.

The closing combo of “luther” and “gloria” felt almost anticlimactic after all that. To finish out the set, SZA returned and the two rose the car off into the sunset together.

Mustard opened up the show with a DJ set, getting the crowd hyped up with tracks on which he’s contributed, while throwing in singalongs like “Party In the USA” by Miley Cyrus. At one point, Mustard encouraged attendees to put their hands on their shoulders and sway with the music, something to which the crowd obliged.

Follow writer Mike DeWald at mikedewald.bsky.social.