Saturday's set list was stuffed with nearly all the tracks from the new album. Most clever of all, in the slow-building "Count Me Out" Lamar bobbed and swayed in unison to a giant shadow version of himself reflected on a curtain the shadow, however, had arrows shot into his back. City," when the dancers surrounded the rapper with bright flashlights looking like a police caravan closing in on him. He performed it confined inside a box-shaped hospital decontamination bubble as he lamented about the COVID pandemic, "Sorry I didn't save the world, my friend, I was too busy building my redemp."Īnother simple but impactful effect played out well in "M.A.A.D. And what delivery, too!ĭuring "Mirror," Lamar didn't have any other choice but to mostly stand still. One of the most stirring moments actually found him sitting on a plain chair in the center of the blank stage delivering "Father Time" crouched over like a doctor delivering a baby. And instead of hyperactively running up and down the runway - which stretched more than halfway across the arena floor - Lamar often moved slowly and with purpose. Instead of fly-girl dancers, a dozen men and women in black and white suits gracefully moved in and out of dimmed white stage lighting. The rest of the staging matched that stark, direct vibe. He found it soon enough, though.Ī therapist's voice - recorded by Dame Helen Mirren - popped in here and there over the speakers to offer psychoanalytical feedback to the star after he hid behind a proverbial mask in "N95" or wrestled with his fast-rising fame in "Rich Spirit." The 35-year-old rapper took the stage to the tune of "United in Grief" carrying a dummy version of himself, as if struggling to offer up his own real voice. Black and white imagery and light and dark tones battled each other throughout the concert, much like the inner demons that Lamar openly wrestles with on the new record. Unlike his appearance with those two mentors in the Super Bowl Halftime Show back in February, though, Saturday's stage production was far from super elaborate. Dre and Snoop Dogg propped him up as Los Angeles' new rap king. Paul hockey's arena in the decade since his hometown heroes Dr. Morale & the Big Steppers," Saturday's show was Lamar's second time packing St.
Simply put: The only rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize once again lived up to the hype as the greatest in his field at the moment.Ĭoming a month into the tour behind his fifth album, "Mr. The truly clever, shadowy stage production was no indicator the music itself lacked wow value. Kendrick Lamar offered up a highly artful, visually stunning 100-minute performance at Xcel Energy Center, one that somehow combined modern dance, psychotherapy, a ventriloquist dummy and even COVID testing - all without missing a beat. Don’t Kill My Vibe Lyrics by Kendrick Lamar Ft.Hip-hop has come a long way from the two-turntables-and-a-microphone stage show of lore, and Twin Cities fans saw maybe its farthest-reaching tour yet Saturday night in St.