At last year's Super Bowl Halftime Show, Kendrick Lamar was the odd one out. At the event, a success of hip-hop/R&B stars performed their biggest hits: Dr. Dre did "Still D.R.E.," 50 Cent performed "In da Club," Mary J. Blige sang "Family Affair" and Eminem did "Lose Yourself." But Lamar didn't receive the memo (or, more likely, chose to ignore it). Instead, he played "m.A.A.d City" — an enduring favourite, but nowhere near his most famous song — offering a couple of strange minutes featuring guys wearing sashes doing a synchronized dance in cardboard boxes.
It didn't quite work, its avant-garde staging a little too esoteric for a halftime party at the biggest event of the TV calendar. But the full-length concert film Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour is a far better medium for the rapper's theatrical aspirations.
Recorded at Paris's Accor Arena in October 22, the film was released released on Prime Video in December with surprisingly little ceremony, following a live Twitch stream on the night of. Franky, I didn't even know the film existed until the other day, when I happened to notice it while scrolling through Prime Video.
But if there has been surprisingly little fuss about the release of The Big Steppers Tour, that's because Lamar saved all of the grandeur for the show itself. As well as being a career-spanning showcase for one of the best rappers of his generation, the concert is a theatre kid's dream come true.
Beginning with the strings from Mr. Morale's "Savior - Interlude," it's a few minutes before Lamar even plays a proper song, as dancers file out onto a long, illuminated stage that runs down the centre of the arena floor. When a leather-clad Lamar finally does show up, he's rapping with his back to the audience, playing the piano of "United in Grief" with a ventriloquist dummy perched beside him.
It sets the tone for 100 minutes of elaborate staging and high-concept theatricality: there's a big dance routine for "Humble," leading straight into Lamar slouching on a wooden chair for a sombre "Father Time." A projection on the screen makes it appear that Lamar has arrows in his back during "Count Me Out," and pyrotechnics blast when Baby Keem comes on stage for a few of his own tracks.
It's strange, daring stuff that favours thought-provoking braininess over visceral urgency — especially when Lamar performs one of his signature songs, "Alright," while in a COVID isolation chamber after getting an on-stage nose swab. (Perhaps he's trying to reframe the inspirational protest anthem as being about the pandemic?) The cube ascends during "Mirror," leaving Lamar on an elevated platform for "Silent Hill," and the closing "Savior" borrows the celebrity deepfake trick from his "The Heart Part 5" video.
Directors Mike Carson and Dave Free utilize some nifty through-the-crowd shots, with the camera sometimes peeking at the stage through fans' raised phones. (At the risk of sounding like a "get off my lawn" grump, is it really necessary to record large parts of a show on your phone when it's being professionally recorded? Whatever.)
For the most part, though, the filmmakers let the show speak for itself, the flashiness coming from the staging rather than any directorial choices. They seemingly didn't edit down any of the breaks between songs, occasionally allowing for a breather while the crowd cheers in a darkened arena.
It's an appropriately challenging show for a challenging album. Lamar might not be the most cathartic party-starter in the business, but he's definitely one of the best in terms of conceptual ambition, making this film a welcome way to cap off his 2022 campaign (especially if, like me, you happened to be out of town for a wedding on the same week Lamar played in your city).
(Prime Video)It didn't quite work, its avant-garde staging a little too esoteric for a halftime party at the biggest event of the TV calendar. But the full-length concert film Kendrick Lamar Live: The Big Steppers Tour is a far better medium for the rapper's theatrical aspirations.
Recorded at Paris's Accor Arena in October 22, the film was released released on Prime Video in December with surprisingly little ceremony, following a live Twitch stream on the night of. Franky, I didn't even know the film existed until the other day, when I happened to notice it while scrolling through Prime Video.
But if there has been surprisingly little fuss about the release of The Big Steppers Tour, that's because Lamar saved all of the grandeur for the show itself. As well as being a career-spanning showcase for one of the best rappers of his generation, the concert is a theatre kid's dream come true.
Beginning with the strings from Mr. Morale's "Savior - Interlude," it's a few minutes before Lamar even plays a proper song, as dancers file out onto a long, illuminated stage that runs down the centre of the arena floor. When a leather-clad Lamar finally does show up, he's rapping with his back to the audience, playing the piano of "United in Grief" with a ventriloquist dummy perched beside him.
It sets the tone for 100 minutes of elaborate staging and high-concept theatricality: there's a big dance routine for "Humble," leading straight into Lamar slouching on a wooden chair for a sombre "Father Time." A projection on the screen makes it appear that Lamar has arrows in his back during "Count Me Out," and pyrotechnics blast when Baby Keem comes on stage for a few of his own tracks.
It's strange, daring stuff that favours thought-provoking braininess over visceral urgency — especially when Lamar performs one of his signature songs, "Alright," while in a COVID isolation chamber after getting an on-stage nose swab. (Perhaps he's trying to reframe the inspirational protest anthem as being about the pandemic?) The cube ascends during "Mirror," leaving Lamar on an elevated platform for "Silent Hill," and the closing "Savior" borrows the celebrity deepfake trick from his "The Heart Part 5" video.
Directors Mike Carson and Dave Free utilize some nifty through-the-crowd shots, with the camera sometimes peeking at the stage through fans' raised phones. (At the risk of sounding like a "get off my lawn" grump, is it really necessary to record large parts of a show on your phone when it's being professionally recorded? Whatever.)
For the most part, though, the filmmakers let the show speak for itself, the flashiness coming from the staging rather than any directorial choices. They seemingly didn't edit down any of the breaks between songs, occasionally allowing for a breather while the crowd cheers in a darkened arena.
It's an appropriately challenging show for a challenging album. Lamar might not be the most cathartic party-starter in the business, but he's definitely one of the best in terms of conceptual ambition, making this film a welcome way to cap off his 2022 campaign (especially if, like me, you happened to be out of town for a wedding on the same week Lamar played in your city).
