The only thing I have ever seen Kendrick Lamar or SZA do wrong was neglecting Denver on their “Grand National” Tour. After all the bad Drake music I listened to during the beef, I felt played to see no Denver concert. Nevertheless, I was determined to get to a show and made my way to Charlotte, N.C., to see my king and queen live on May 3.
My best friend’s birthday was May 1. She and her sister are from Raleigh, N.C., so we thought there would be no better way to celebrate than by hopping on a plane to their homeland and having a cutesy little girls’ trip to see these two Top Dawg Entertainment icons. It was the longest 24 hours of my life for a top-five-but-not-best-ever concert. But I have zero regrets.
My best friends and I piled into my little sister’s Ford Escape at 3:30 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Charlotte. We arrived around 11:30 a.m., four and a half hours before we were able to check into our rooms. Since we had nothing else to do, we brushed our teeth and changed clothes in the lobby bathroom before heading downtown to visit SZA’s new Not Beauty brand pop-up near the concert venue.
The four of us stood in line for an hour. Unbeknownst to us, the first line was just to get into a cute little tent filled only with displays concerning SZA’s three lip gloss colors. There was a whole separate Disneyland-esque line to actually buy anything. We opted to drop some dimes on tour merch prior to the show. Let me tell you, I would’ve dropped $400 if I had that kind of money. Merch was fire.
While we were making our purchases, a huge crowd of fans surged toward the pop-up with excited screams. SZA posted on Instagram that she would be at the pop-up rain or shine, so naturally, we assumed the queen was near.
It was about 2:30 p.m. when my friends and I moseyed on to the barricade around the pop-up. Sprinkles of rain gave way to 80-degree heat and sun. Minutes turned into hours as we waited for SZA. “We’ll leave at 4 p.m.” became “We’ll leave at 4:15, 4:30, 5…”
Before we knew it, thunder boomed while lightning streaked across the sky. Rain poured down so quickly, the water rose up to our ankles near the curbs. We ran through the city looking for food, sopping merch and squishy shoes in tow.
We returned to the hotel at the same time we had planned to leave for the concert. Four rain-soaked girls scrambled to make outfits work for the rain. We left around 7 p.m., right when the show was scheduled to start.
By the time we made it to the stadium, suffered through an aggressive bag check and bought drinks, it was nearly 8 p.m. Once we were seated, the lights immediately went down.
Chills ran through my body as I watched the GNX rise from beneath the stage with a tiny Kendrick Lamar inside. The supporting visuals featured Lamar and SZA at a deposition. I couldn’t hear most of the dialogue over the screams of the crowd, but I do know these two are some hilarious actors for being musicians.
The show went back and forth between Lamar and SZA sets. I didn’t expect it to be so 50/50, but I will never complain about seeing more SZA.
Lamar mostly performed songs from “GNX,” but he took the crowd back with “HUMBLE,” “DNA,” “N95” and “Alright.” I cannot put into words the feeling I got from watching Lamar rap “Euphoria,” my favorite Drake diss, bar for bar. Lamar had the crowd sing along to “Swimming Pools” a cappella and rapped “m.A.A.d city” over the instrumental of “Sweet Love.”
SZA is a generational performer. She, arguably, outshone Lamar. Her choreography was flawless, her stage presence incredible and her voice angelic. SZA first appeared seated atop a vine-covered GNX for “30 For 30.” I lost my voice screaming the lyrics of “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” and legitimately became weak in the knees, mesmerized by her downright alluring choreography during “Low.”
Lights radiated off the clouds above while the two performed “All The Stars.” I am blessed to have seen the duo perform “Doves In The Wind.” That Lamar verse live is a game changer.
Rain continued off and on throughout the show, but a reassuring Lamar said, “A little rain wouldn’t stop us. I like the rain anyway.”
The show closed with Mustard appearing for “tv off,” Lamar rapping all of “Not Like Us,” and SZA joining the stage for “luther” and “gloria.” Both artists performed the show almost entirely without the use of any backtrack, which I found impressive.
I do not mean to say the show was bad, but it was not the best I have ever been to. The stage organization was not very accessible for a stadium with many side seats, and the dancers were relatively unnoticeable on the large stage. The choice of “gloria” was a major turndown for a closing song. My group agreed that “luther” would have been much better instead.
That said, I still have no regrets––not the time, the money or the rain. I would have regretted it forever if I had missed the show. There is never a reason to regret doing life and seeing live music with your friends.