Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s Grand National Tour: A Post-Grammy, Post-Super Bowl Revolution Hits Europe
The air still crackles with the aftershock of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance—a seismic blend of protest and poetry—when news breaks: he and SZA, his frequent collaborator and fellow Grammy titan, are taking their Grand National Tour to Europe and the UK this summer. Announced just days after their five-Grammy haul, including Record of the Year for the incendiary “Not Like Us,” this isn’t merely a concert series. It’s a cultural reset, packaged in stadium-scale ambition.
Fresh off their New Orleans spectacle, where Lamar turned the NFL’s biggest stage into a pulpit for razor-sharp lyricism and SZA’s vocals sliced through the Super Bowl’s commercial gloss, the duo’s tour feels like a victory lap with higher stakes. Their partnership, rooted in pgLang’s avant-garde ethos and Top Dawg’s gritty authenticity, has always transcended genre. Now, it’s poised to redefine what a hip-hop/R&B crossover tour can achieve. “This isn’t about filling seats,” a Live Nation insider whispers. “It’s about rewriting the rules.”
The Itinerary: From Cologne to Stockholm
The 13-date trek kicks off in Cologne’s RheinEnergieSTADION on July 2, weaving through iconic venues like London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Paris’ La Défense Arena. For UK fans, the July 19 Cardiff stop at Principality Stadium—a cauldron of Welsh fervor—promises to be a highlight, while Glasgow’s Hampden Park (July 8) and Birmingham’s Villa Park (July 10) anchor the British leg. Notably absent? Smaller clubs. This is a tour built for magnitude, reflecting the artists’ gravitational pull post-Mr. Morale and SOS .
When and Where is Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 02 | Cologne, DE | RheinEnergieSTADION |
| Jul 04 | Frankfurt, DE | Deutsche Bank Park |
| Jul 08 | Glasgow, UK | Hampden Park |
| Jul 10 | Birmingham, UK | Villa Park |
| Jul 13 | Amsterdam, NL | Johan Cruijff ArenA |
| Jul 15 | Paris, FR | Paris La Défense Arena |
| Jul 19 | Cardiff, UK | Principality Stadium |
| Jul 22 | London, UK | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium |
| Jul 27 | Lisbon, PT | Estadio do Restelo |
| Jul 30 | Barcelona, ES | Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys |
| Aug 02 | Rome, IT | Stadio Olimpico |
| Aug 06 | Warsaw, PL | PGE Narodowy |
| Aug 09 | Stockholm, SE | 3Arena |
Tickets: A Modern Gold Rush
General sales begin February 14—Valentine’s Day, a fitting nod to the devotion of their fanbase. But the real scramble starts earlier: O2 Priority presales (February 12) and Live Nation/Ticketmaster slots (February 13) will test loyalty and Wi-Fi speeds alike. Glasgow’s pricing (£73.10–£204.50, or ~$95–$266) hints at a tiered experience, where pit access might cost a week’s rent but balcony seats offer communion with the masses .
Why This Tour Matters
Lamar and SZA aren’t just performers; they’re archivists of Black resilience and romantic chaos. Their Super Bowl set, which paired SZA’s ethereal “All the Stars” with Lamar’s blistering “Not Like Us,” wasn’t a medley—it was a manifesto. Europe, with its patchwork of hip-hop scenes and appetite for genre-blurring artistry, becomes the perfect canvas for their next act. As one Berlin-based critic muses, “They’re not bringing American rap to Europe. They’re bringing a global conversation.”
FAQs:
What songs might feature in the Grand National Tour setlist?
Expect Grammy-winning tracks like “Not Like Us” and collaborations such as “All the Stars,” alongside cuts from Lamar’s Mr. Morale and SZA’s SOS .
How can fans access presale tickets?
O2 Priority via the mobile app (Feb 12) and Live Nation/Ticketmaster (Feb 13), with general sales starting Feb 14 .
Why are Lamar and SZA collaborating on this tour?
Their partnership, rooted in pgLang’s creative collective and shared Grammy success, reflects a deliberate fusion of hip-hop’s political edge and R&B’s emotional depth .
