Kendrick Lamar Sets New Record with Grand National Tour Opening Night

Kendrick Lamar continues to solidify his place in music history, setting a new milestone on the opening night of his Grand National Tour alongside SZA and Mustard.

The tour kicked off in Minneapolis on April 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium, and according to Touring Data, the show grossed an impressive $9.1 million from over 47,000 attendees, each paying an average ticket price of $192.70.

With these figures, Lamar now holds the record for the highest-grossing Hip-Hop concert of all time, surpassing Eminem’s previous record set in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019.

The Compton-born rapper also made history by becoming the first hip-hop artist to headline a single concert that grossed over $9 million. The Minneapolis performance marked a career milestone not just for Lamar but also for SZA, with 47,354 tickets sold — the largest audience either artist has performed for to date.

Since opening night, the tour has moved through major stadiums, including NRG Stadium in Houston and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With 36 shows remaining on the Grand National Tour, many are watching to see if Lamar and SZA will continue to break records.

The Grand National Tour supports Lamar’s November 2024 album GNX, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 319,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. The 12-track LP has produced multiple hits, including “Squabble Up” and the SZA-assisted “Luther,” the latter of which has remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks.

SZA, for her part, released LANA, the deluxe edition of her critically acclaimed SOS album, in December 2024. LANA features 19 tracks, including standout collaborations like “Joni” with Don Toliver and “30 For 30” featuring Kendrick Lamar, along with solo hits like “Saturn” and a solo version of “Open Arms.”

The duo’s chemistry was also on full display earlier this year during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show at Caesars Superdome, where they performed their hit “Luther” and reprised “All The Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack. Lamar also delivered a high-energy set of his own, running through crowd favorites like “Not Like Us,” “TV Off,” “Humble,” and “DNA.”

As the Grand National Tour continues to sweep through North America, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s historic opening night has already cemented the tour as one of the most significant in modern hip-hop history.