List of Kendrick Lamar live performances

Kendrick Lamar live performances
Lamar at the Damn Tour (2017)
Concert tours5
One-off concerts9
Benefit concerts4
Music festivals157
Award shows12
Television shows and specials12

American rapper Kendrick Lamar has headlined five concert tours and nine one-off concerts, and performed in 157 music festivals. After touring with The Game and Tech N9ne as a hype man for Jay Rock, Lamar traveled to venues and college campuses across the US to promote his debut studio album, Section.80 (2011).[1][2] Throughout 2012, he served as a supporting act for Drake, Wiz Khalifa, and Mac Miller.[3][4] Lamar's first concert tour, the Good Kid, M.A.A.D City Tour (2013), visited North America and Europe, and grossed over $1.5 million from 23 headlining shows.[5] Following the tour's conclusion, he opened for Kanye West and Eminem.[6][7]

Kunta's Groove Sessions (2015), Lamar's second concert tour, visited select small-capacity venues across the US.[8] His stage presence and intimate experience was praised by contemporary music critics.[9][10] Lamar's Damn Tour (2017–2018) was his first to primarily visit arenas, and visited North America, Europe, and Oceania.[11][12] Applauded by critics for its incorporation of kung fu imagery, the tour grossed over $77 million from 64 shows.[13][14] While embarking on the Damn Tour, Lamar co-headlined the Championship Tour (2018) alongside artists from Top Dawg Entertainment.[15] After they concluded, he performed at various festivals before taking a two-year hiatus from touring.[16] In 2021, Lamar returned to the stage with his critically acclaimed headlining performance at Day N Vegas.[17][18] The following year, he embarked on the Big Steppers Tour, his first solo concert tour in over four years.[19] It was met with rave reviews from critics, who lauded the tour's minimalist aesthetic and Lamar's performance.[20] Earning over $110 million from 76 shows across Europe, North America, and Oceania, the Big Steppers Tour is the second highest-grossing rap tour of all time.[21]

Outside of concert tours, Lamar has performed at various television programs, award shows, and benefit concerts like the Global Citizen Festival (2016).[22] He headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022 alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige, the first of its kind to be centered around hip hop music.[23][24] Lamar's performances at the Grammy Awards and Saturday Night Live have been hailed by critics as some of the greatest live performances in television history.[25][26]

  1. ^ Cooper, Roman (November 22, 2011). "Kendrick Lamar Talks "Section 80," Wu-Tang Clan, Rumored Album With J. Cole". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Ahmed, Insanul; Michels, Eric (August 1, 2011). "Interview: Kendrick Lamar Talks 'Section.80,' Major Labels, & Working With Dr. Dre". Complex. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  3. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Joins BET Music Matters for Fall Tour". VIBE. July 20, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Battan, Carrie (April 18, 2012). "Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q to Tour North America With Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller This Summer". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Josephs, Brian (April 20, 2013). "Kendrick Lamar Announces "good kid, m.A.A.d city" World Tour". Complex. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Gonik, Michael (September 6, 2013). "Kanye West Announces 'Yeezus' Tour W/ Kendrick Lamar". Okayplayer. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Hogan, Marc (October 21, 2013). "Kendrick Lamar, After Touring With Kanye West, Will Share Bill With Eminem". Spin. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Kennedy, Gerrick D. (October 10, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar reveals first dates for 'Kunta's Groove Sessions'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Lockett, Dee (November 3, 2015). "Kendrick Lamar's Kunta's Groove Sessions Just May Be the Best Rap Tour of 2015". Vulture. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Kendrick Lamar's intimate 'Kunta's Groove Sessions' is one of the best shows we've seen all year". Chicago Tribune. November 5, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Kreps, Daniel (April 24, 2017). "Kendrick Lamar Announces 'The Damn. Tour'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 13, 2017). "Review: Kendrick Lamar, Rap's Skeptical Superstar, Avoids Arena Spectacle". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "2017 Year End Top 200 North American Tours" (PDF). Pollstar. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Empire, Kitty (February 11, 2018). "Kendrick Lamar review – hip-hop's finest seizes his moment". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Lamarre, Carl (January 22, 2018). "Kendrick Lamar & SZA to Headline TDE's The Championship Tour". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  16. ^ Platon, Adelle (November 4, 2019). "Day N Vegas Festival: Kendrick Lamar's Funk-tion and Technical Difficulties Galore on Day Three". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  17. ^ Wood, Mikael (November 13, 2021). "In only 2021 concert, an ambitious Kendrick Lamar reestablishes his generational greatness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Young, Alex (November 13, 2021). "Kendrick Lamar Reclaims His Crown with Masterful Day N Vegas Performance". Consequence. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  19. ^ Jones, Damian (May 13, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar announces 'The Big Steppers' 2022 world tour dates". NME. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  20. ^ Kelly, Chris (August 6, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar rewrites the rules of the rap show". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  21. ^ Callas, Brad (April 29, 2023). "Kendrick Lamar's 'Big Steppers Tour' Becomes Highest-Grossing Rap Tour Ever". Complex. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  22. ^ Kreps, Daniel (July 26, 2016). "Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Metallica Headline 2016 Global Citizen Festival". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  23. ^ Wolfson, Sam (February 14, 2022). "Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J Blige's half-time show – an all-timer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Tannenbaum, Rob (February 10, 2022). "How Hip-Hop Inched Its Way to the Super Bowl Halftime Stage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Lynch, Joe (February 16, 2016). "2016 Grammys Performances Ranked From Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  26. ^ Young, Alex (November 16, 2014). "Kendrick Lamar delivers an SNL performance for the ages". Consequence. Retrieved June 6, 2023.