Kendrick Lamar Receives Nearly Five-Minute Ovation After 'Not Like Us' at Second Grand National Tour Concert in Toronto
Kendrick and SZA played their second show at the Rogers Centre on Friday night (June 13), which included a rare performance of SZA's 'Drew Barrymore' to make up for her cancelled 2023 concert.
Kendrick Lamar’s victory lap continues.
The California rapper received another roaring ovation after performing his viral Drake diss track “Not Like Us” in the rapper’s hometown of Toronto on Friday night (June 13).
Lamar and SZA performed to a packed crowd during their second of two nights at the Rogers Centre, as part of their ongoing Grand National Tour.
The ovation lasted four minutes and 46 seconds, more than double the one he received the night prior. Fans cheered for over a minute before Lamar finally reappeared on stage. He remained still for another three minutes as the crowd alternated between indistinct cheers and chanting “one more time” in unison. By the third overall minute, the Rogers Centre was illuminated by phone flashlights throughout the entire crowd.
@leticiapalhares9 Toronto night 2 #gnx #gnxtour #sza #kendrick
@kendrickdotlamar unreal scenes from Rogers Centre 😮💨🇨🇦 #kendricklamar #gnt #gnx #grandnationaltour #notlikeus
Lamar didn’t play the highly-demanded encore, but he left fans ecstatic by ending the pause with his hit “luther,” which SZA guests on.
The R&B singer had a surprise of her own for the audience as she performed “Drew Barrymore” for the first time of the Grand National Tour. She acknowledged that she was doing them a special favour to make up for her second SOS Tour show in Toronto in Oct. 2023, which was postponed last minute due to illness and later cancelled.
"Toronto, this song wasn't in the set before. I added it because I know that I owe Toronto," she said during the concert.
@ssmithxo_ drew barrymore for toronto
The fan favourite track from her 2017 debut Ctrl deals with insecurity and was inspired by the oddball nature of numerous roles played by actress Drew Barrymore, which the singer identified with as a teenager.
“You were quirky,” SZA told Barrymore while guesting on her talk show in January. “Your smile wasn’t perfect. I had a slight speech impediment … I love the way you talk and the you-ness of you. It just reminds me of all the things about myself that make me nervous, but on you, shine so brightly. It gave me permission to be myself.”
Lamar also did fan service by signing an audience member’s vinyl while performing the concert’s penultimate track “gloria.” He kept his mic in hand the whole time, not missing a beat and highlighting the ease with which he executes his craft.
"Not Like Us" played a central role in Lamar's highly publicized beef with Drake last year, topping the charts, sweeping the Grammy Awards and even being performed at the Super Bowl. As the feud seems to be ongoing, Drake pursues his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group.
