Kendrick Lamar, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

With only a couple of weeks’ notice, Kendrick Lamar announced a handful of surprise shows to close out the year, billed as the “1st Annual Kunta’s Groove Session,” named for Kunta Kinte, the main protagonist from Alex Haley’s novel Roots, who is evoked in the title of the song, “King Kunta,” probably the biggest single from Lamar’s widely critically acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly (2015). I doubt that this will become an annual event, but as I’m a big fan of the album, I’d be happy to hear its songs performed annually.

The show was initially announced to take place at the Concord Theatre, which I immediately recognized as being a much smaller venue than where he should have been booked. Tickets sold out immediately, but I was lucky enough to nab a pair. However, unfortunately, at least for me, it was announced the week of the show that it would be moved over to the Riviera, and more tickets would go on sale. I wasn’t pleased with this, as the opportunity to see Kendrick Lamar at such a small venue was the major reason that I bought the tickets to begin with. Not Cool Jam Productions; not cool. Ticket prices on the secondary market crashed though, making it more reasonable for a new friend to join us for the show at the last minute, so that was at least something positive to come out of the switch.

We arrived at the theatre a bit after doors opened, and though it was crowded in the bottom section, we were able to slide our way in towards the back. Kendrick Lamar had arranged for label mate Jay Rock as the opening act. Jay Rock hails from South Central LA, a neighborhood called Watts only a couple miles from Lamar’s home in Compton. He took the stage alone. The curtain behind him remained closed, and he rapped over backing tracks. Though I didn’t know any of his songs, he was pretty good as an opener, and the audience seemed to be pretty into his performance.

Kendrick Lamar took the stage at exactly 10pm, joined by a full backing band. There were some various lights on the stage, though nothing too fancy. Also on stage was a single neon sign pointing an entrance for “Pimps Only.” The audience in our section compacted significantly, and it was the most crowded show that I had been to in a while, save for a handful of moments in the pit at Frank Turner. I saw Kendrick Lamar at Bonnaroo a couple years ago, and enjoyed the performance. However, this was in 2013, before the release of To Pimp a Butterfly. He made several references to that album and the year that he had been having, humble bragging that “some people might call this the album of the year; some people might call album of this generation, but to me this is therapy.”

His setlist included a mix of songs from good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012) and To Pimp a Butterfly. Though he name checked his first album, Section.80 (2011), asking who in the room had been a fan since its initial release, none of the songs from it made the cut. By the end of the night, I had pretty heard almost every song that I wanted to hear. “P & P” was noticeably missing. While it’s not uncommon for fans to smoke during shows at the Riviera, this was the first time I saw people smoking cigarettes.

Perhaps the coolest part of the show started during the encore break. Immediately after his main set, a guy near me started chanting/singing the hook to Lamar’s single “Alright” over and over – "we gon' be a-right,"…"we gon' be a-right,"…"we gon' be a-right…" Soon everyone near him joined in, then most of the audience in the lower section. After a couple minutes, Kendrick returned to the stage to lead the audience in continuing the chant, pointing to different sections, timing when to start and stop, and adjusting the volume level. He did all this without stepping to the microphone, just the whole crowd focused on his movements. I’m not sure if this is a par for the course at his shows or if it was a first for him too. I’ve been involved in a lot of coordinated audience sing-alongs. However, never before had I participated in one that seemed to come together so organically. It was incredible, and easily the highlight of the show for me. After a full version of “Alright,” and a brief outro, Kendrick took a bow. The show ended up being about an hour and a half total.

Approximate Setlist:
For Free (Interlude)
Wesley's Theory
Institutionalized
Backseat Freestyle
Swimming Pools (Drank)
These Walls
For Sale (Interlude)
Hood Politics
Complexion (A Zulu Love)
Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
Money Trees
m.A.A.d city
U
Freestyle (Spoken Word Interlude)
King Kunta
Momma
i
How Much a Dollar Cost (Interlude)
The Blacker the Berry
Mortal Man
Encore:
Alright
Every Nigger Is a Star (Outro) [Boris Gardiner Cover]