Kendrick Lamar justifies his Pride with a Damn good show
Kendrick Lamar
(out of 4) Tuesday, July 5, at the Air Canada Centre
As the kids would say, Tuesday evening’s Kendrick Lamar show at the Air Canada Centre was lit.
The self-proclaimed “greatest rapper alive” first delighted fans during the day, just by showing up for those who lined up for hours at a merchandise pop-up shop downtown.
Then, for the thousands in attendance at the night’s stop on his Damn. tour, the man delivered an intense show.
The rapper ran through his excellent recent album and stellar back catalogue in a way that didn’t leave much doubt about his boast.
With a spartan, but at times bright stage highlighted by a large visuals-filled backing and the occasional blast of pyrotechnics, the spotlight was singularly on Lamar.
The 30-year-old showman proved he is more than capable of soaking it all in.
Coming out with urgency, he kicked off with a fiery “DNA” and didn’t let up for a good 45 minutes, following that with “Element” and older song “King Kunta,” with much of the audience rapping along.
Rap started off in — and for many, still belongs in — a sweaty club and one of the best ways to judge a hiphop arena show is if the performer can make a cavernous room feel intimate, and Lamar’s show pulled that off with aplomb.
It began with a video introduction about a lost legend: the rapper’s recently unveiled persona “Kung Fu Kenny,” clearly reminiscent of the Wu-Tang Clan’s obsession with fighting styles. (Lamar showed off yellow and red sweat suits, the first obviously inspired by Bruce Lee in Game of Death.) There was a moment early on when a ninja appeared onstage and the Compton, Calif., star fought him off with rhyme. That sounds unbelievably goofy — it kind of was — but it didn’t really distract from Lamar’s focus and cool.
With the aid of Auto-Tune, opener Travis Scott had the crowd going with his tracks, but his set seemed a little repetitive and wasn’t helped by a muddier sound mix than the head- liner got. The sonics might not be what people remember, anyhow: He performed the majority of his set in a harness atop a giant, Spinal Tap- esque robotic eagle that flew about 6 metres above the stage.
In an already great year filled with critical acclaim for his latest release, Damn., Lamar has had a good couple of days.
The album was recently certified double platinum and also received eight MTV VMA nominations for the powerful video for “Humble,” but none of that was mentioned during the show.
In fact, Lamar mostly stuck to the business at hand — there were just a few Toronto shout-outs and a few lags in the middle of the show, but the man likely needed a timeout from the breakneck pace.
It also ended strongly, with “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “Alright” and then the penultimate performance of “Humble,” where he did stop and take a break, soaking it all in and getting a standing ovation from the crowd. On “Pride,” Lamar raps that he “put my faith in these lyrics,” and for those lucky enough to see him perform live that was clearly a wise choice. Kendrick Lamar’s Damn Tour returns to the Air Canada Centre with YG and D.R.A.M. on Aug. 23.
One of the best ways to judge a hip-hop arena show is if the performer can make a cavernous room feel intimate, and Lamar’s show pulled that off with aplomb