The anticipation has finally culminated as the year’s most awaited concert tour has officially commenced. On Saturday, April 19, Kendrick Lamar and SZA kicked off their co-headlining Grand National Tour at the renowned U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, an event that fans have been eagerly looking forward to for months.

Not every artist enjoys the unique advantage of launching a tour while simultaneously holding the No. 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the dynamic duo of TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment) possesses a distinctive appeal that sets them apart from the crowd. Their collaborative track “Luther” has impressively spent eight consecutive weeks at the top of the charts, marking it as Kendrick Lamar’s sixth No. 1 single on the Hot 100 and SZA’s third. This remarkable achievement is just one among a series of successes for both artists.

Kendrick Lamar’s latest single “Not Like Us” burst onto the scene in 2024 with the force of a sledgehammer, quickly becoming a viral diss track that resonated deeply within both the streets and the music charts. Following some recent legal disputes, it appears that this track has even stirred some unease within a certain Canadian rapper’s camp. “Not Like Us” has emerged as one of the standout hits on Billboard’s 2024 Year-End Hot 100 chart, propelling K.Dot back to the top of the Hot 100 in May 2024 after previously claiming the No. 1 spot alongside Future and Metro Boomin. Before the year concluded, Lamar secured another No. 1 title (as the featured artist) with “Squabble Up,” which is part of his album GNX, a project that debuted with the sixth-largest first-week sales for a 2024 album. His winning streak continued into February 2025 when he headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, joining forces with SZA for two powerful performances of “Luther” and “All the Stars.”

SZA’s recent album projects have collectively dominated the Billboard 200 chart for an impressive 12 weeks, initially under the title SOS and later through the deluxe edition titled LANA. Among the standout tracks from SOS is “Kill Bill,” an unforgettable breakup anthem that marked SZA’s first time topping the Hot 100 as a solo artist. Previously, she had achieved a Hot 100 number one alongside Drake with the track “Slime You Out.” Although “Slime You Out” did not make the setlist for this tour, two other collaborations with Drake were highlighted: “Poetic Justice” (Kendrick Lamar ft. Drake) and “Rich Baby Daddy” (Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA). The surprises just keep coming!

With both Kendrick Lamar and SZA riding high off two hit albums packed with chart-topping singles—coupled with their extensive discographies that include a Pulitzer Prize-winning album for Lamar—there was an abundance of material to select from when curating the setlist for the Grand National Tour. As this all-stadium trek (a significant milestone for both artists) commenced in Minneapolis, fans were treated to an exhilarating setlist filled with their favorite tracks, with some songs performed in abbreviated versions while most remained close to their full lengths.