Concert Review: Kendrick Lamar

We've had some pretty good shows in New Zealand during 2018, but after what I saw last night - Kendrick pushed everyone else to the side.

Joining Kenny as support act was TDE artist SiR. Not going to lie, I didn't know much about him. I rocked up just before SiR hit the stage and i'm glad I did. I found his performance to be very soulful. He had the whole RnB, Neo-Soul, Jazz vibe, and even though he isn't as popular as his other label mates, he was the perfect choice to open the night.

Kendrick kicked his set off with an introduction into Kung-Fu Kenny, his alter-ego from the DAMN album. From there, it was straight into DNA, Element and King Kunta. The crowd was hyped after these three tracks.  After rapping his verses from Schoolboy Q and Travis Scott tracks (I was imagining what Spark Arena would be like if Travis performed "goosebumps,") Kendrick asks the crowd if there were any 'day one' fans.

The great thing about Kendrick is that he has so many amazing tracks. Even if you aren't a 'die heart' fan like myself, you would still recognise his set list.

Kenny had Spark Arena in the palm of his hands. His performance was flawless....And then he had to say "Auckland, Australia."....Bruh, just no. This is a common mistake with touring artists, so Kendrick, you're forgiven.

I missed Kendrick's last show in New Zealand, but was lucky enough to catch him in Los Angeles three years ago, and again at Coachella this year. This was the first time seeing him without any 'special guests' joining him on stage...And I enjoyed that more. From what I could see,  his band were made up of four members. Two on either side of the stage facing towards each other. Kendrick was front and centre.

Kendrick's encore track was "All The Stars" from the Blank Panther soundtrack. For me personally, I thought "Alright" or "Humble" should of been the last track.

He has one more show at Auckland's Spark Arena tonight, and will be heading back to Australia for Splendour In The Grass this weekend.

If you missed out on tickets Kendrick did confirm that he will be back. The man is a beast and I highly recommend seeing him at some point in your life.

Photographed by Shelley Te Haara. www.instagram.com/art.by.shelley

Review by Ange.