Kendrick Lamar and SZA N.J. concert review: A triumph of shared history

The kickoff to MetLife Stadium’s record-breaking 2025 season Thursday night was a coronation of two artists at the top of their collective games. Rap superstar Kendrick Lamar and pop-R&B chart-topper SZA have joined forces for their Grand National Tour, a showcase of what happens when hard work and authenticity are at the forefront of what you do. The reward was a sold-out stadium (the first of back-to-back nights) full of excited and boisterous fans, a stage with three massive LED screens, animatronic ants, and narrative short films serving as interludes.

Stadium shows present another difficulty level in setlist selection. But Lamar and SZA gave everyone their money’s worth with a 51-song setlist over three hours. Thursday night was particularly special for SZA, a hometown show for the artist born Solana Rowe, who was raised 30 minutes south in Maplewood. The historic night marked SZA as the first New Jersey woman to co-headline MetLife Stadium.

SZA performs on the Grand National Tour, which visited MetLife Stadium May 8, 2025.Cassidy Meyers

“Am I home?” she asked the crowd right after she performed 2024’s “30 For 30” with Kendrick, one of many collaborations they would perform together. The home cooking would circle back at the show’s end, right before the duo signed off with 2025’s “Gloria.”

“Is this the one?” SZA asked, knocking back the myth that northeast crowds don’t have energy. “This your hometown, they better give it up,” Kendrick replied to wild applause.

This also serves as Kendrick’s first stadium tour. If we’re talking history, he is the first rapper to gross over $9 million in a single concert, topping Eminem, one of his lyrical inspirations.

Lamar, 37, and SZA, 35, have enjoyed a big brother/little sister bond ever since they became label mates on TDE Records and ascended to the top of their respective genres. Joint shows can be messy, especially when they pull a particular artist out of their comfort zone.

With Kendrick and SZA, that wasn’t an issue. Kendrick approached his parts with an aura that was precise and confident. He has the songs in his toolbox that invoke the stadium “call and response” that any artist would die to have. While Kendrick looks ahead to playing songs from 2024’s “GNX” like “squabble up” and “peekabo,” he gave nods to the tested favorites like “Backseat Freestyle” (2012) and “HUMBLE” (2017).

Kendrick Lamar At The Grand National Tour / Photo Credit: Greg Noire/pglangGreg Noire

Kendrick couldn’t let this moment pass without acknowledging his victory over Drake (which coincidentally had its first anniversary). He performed “Like That,” “Euphoria,” and “Not Like Us” in their entirety — but not because Kendrick was trying to beat a dead horse. It was more acknowledging the elephant in the room and knowing the crowd couldn’t wait to chant particular lyrics (especially in “Not Like Us).

SZA brought her pop-star aesthetic to the stage, with a collection of songs that offered a more theatrical feel. While Kendrick used the dancers as pieces to assert the power of his music, like his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance earlier this year, SZA played things up with costumes resembling the jungle, while she herself took part in the choreography. Their unique mini-sets blended together organically; no disjointing.

In addition to the animatronic ant (she called Anthony), SZA wore butterfly wings as she sang “Nobody Gets Me” (2022) and “Good Days” (2020).

Also, it turns out X (formerly known as Twitter) is not just a cesspool for spam and Grok interpretations. SZA obliged the wish of one fan who messaged her and performed her 2024 song, “Another Life.” A genuine happiness radiated off her when the crowd sang every single word to “Kill Bill” (2022) and The Weekend (2017). Seeing how both artists tailored their performances to different demographics within the same space was terrific, and it kept everybody invested.

Of course, headlining a stadium show is rarefied air. Kendrick and SZA have toured sold-out arenas separately, but there was newfound poetry in their union here, notching the latest accomplishment in their collective history.

Kendrick Lamar SZA — Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Grand National Tour.Greg Noire

Multiple Grammy awards, No. 1 albums, a highly influential rap battle win, and a highly successful acting debut (among many other achievements) are shared between Kendrick and SZA’s stories. But hearing the Meadowlands quake to the hits “All The Stars” (2018), “Luther,” and “Gloria” on a monster stage just might be their biggest win yet.

“If this world were mine,” ponders the Luther Vandross sample from his 1982 song at the beginning of “Luther.” For Kendrick and SZA, it was for a warm May night in East Rutherford.

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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com