SOHH Squad
Damn. Kendrick Lamar is touring in 2017.
He’ll be launching a trek to support his critically acclaimed album, DAMN. The appropriately named “Damn. Tour” begins July 12 in Glendale, Arizona at the Gila River Arena, and Kendrick Lamar tickets are on sale now.
From there, Lamar has concerts in Dallas, Houston, and Duluth. Next, he swings over to the east coast for gigs in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Washington, Boston, and Brooklyn.
His July concludes with shows in Toronto, Auburn Hills, Chicago, and Denver. The highlight of the August portion of his trek are three shows in Los Angeles at Staples Center—those Kendrick Lamar concerts are booked for Aug. 6, Aug. 8, and Aug. 9.
The last date on his tour is Sept. 2. That night, Kendrick Lamar is in Miami for a performance at the American Airlines Arena.
Lamar’s “Damn. Tour” spans 36 dates and visits 34 cities with five of them routed in Canada. To warm up for his big outing, the rapper scheduled performances at Coachella and the Quebec City Summer Festival.
Travis Scott
From July 12 through Aug. 9—the tour’s last show in Los Angeles—Lamar will be touring with Travis Scott and D.R.A.M.
Scott will be promoting his latest album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016). His work debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 to great reviews.
Birds in the Trap contains “Goosebumps,” a track featuring Lamar.
D.R.A.M.
Meanwhile, D.R.A.M. is supporting his debut studio offering, Big Baby D.R.A.M. (2016). The album dropped in October of 2016 and reached #19 on the Billboard 200.
The opus is anchored by hit single “Broccoli.” The song received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance.
YG
Beginning Aug. 11, D.R.A.M. steps away and YG joins the fray.
YG is promoting his sophomore effort, Still Brazy. The oeuvre peaked at number six and contains the track, “Why You Always Hatin? (featuring Drake and Kamaiyah).”
Get Excited
Fans with tickets to Kendrick Lamar should expect to be blown away. He’s currently sitting on top of the hip hop world, and his latest LP, DAMN., is an early contender for album of the year.
Lamar works hard, appreciates his audience, and is all about the music. Those are the qualities you want in a live performer.
Coachella
There’s another reason fans should be excited to see Lamar live, whether it’s at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Aug. 11 or the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Aug. 20 (buy tickets here), and that’s the homerun he hit at Coachella.
Lamar was the headlining act for both of Coachella’s Sundays. Leading up to his appearance, there was a lot pressure on K-Dot to deliver a memorable show.
Drake had the same slot in 2015 and fizzled. If Lamar bombed too, not only would he take a considerable amount of heat, but so would hip hop. Who knows? Lamar could have been Coachella’s last headlining rapper for a long time.
As it turns out, all the concern was unnecessary. Lamar was awesome. He erased all notions that hip hop artists can’t headline Coachella and solidified himself as one of the greatest rappers of all-time.
Rundown
Lamar’s Coachella concert began with a parody of campy martial arts films of the 1970s. Later in the show, parts one and two were screened.
The opening video ended with the FOX News footage that’s sampled on the intro to DAMN. Then Lamar took to the stage and performed “DNA.”
Lamar’s setlist included “King Kunta,” “m.A.A.d city (Part 1),” and “Humble.” His encore was “Love.”
It’s unknown how similar his upcoming concerts will be to his Coachella performance. Whether they’re identical or opposites, one thing is guaranteed: Lamar will deliver a show that’s fun, artistic, and meaningful.
