As the sun fell completely below the horizon and attendees flocked from other stages that boasted prior sets from Portugal. The Man and The Revivalists, Kendrick Lamar welcomed the spotlight at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. In front of thousands at the American Express stage, Lamar’s Austin City Limits performance on Friday (October 13) not only contained every essential hit from his catalog but also quite a few gems from his seldom feature appearances.
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Following up 2022, where his practically year-long Big Steppers Tour broke records across the world, Lamar has taken his talents to several festivals at home and abroad in the summer and early fall of 2023. And, according to fan-reported set lists on setlist.fm, the now-36-year-old has seemed to perfect a setlist of songs that span his entire career, whether they be chart-toppers or one-off collaborations.
Just like his performances at Outside Lands, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Governors Ball, Lamar kicked off last night at ACL by walking out to the instrumental from his May 2022 single “The Heart Part 5.” Quickly after this, he transitioned into a fiery performance of “N95,” the second song off his 2022 studio album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
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He made sure to rap fan favorites like “Backseat Freestyle” and “Swimming Pools (Drank)” from good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), “King Kunta” and “Alright” from To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), and “ELEMENT.” and “LOVE.” from DAMN. He also performed his verses for songs like “Nosetalgia” by Pusha T (2013) and “Sidewalks” by The Weeknd (2016).
“I see we got a lot of day 1s in the house,” he told the crowd mid-performance. “You know, Austin, we go all the way back.”
As two of his most celebrated guest performances by his most loyal listeners, Lamar acknowledging “Nosetalgia” and “Sidewalks” speaks especially to how much he harnesses the love he receives from fans. Additionally, it signifies the tremendous amount of care and attention he likely puts into verses for other people’s songs.
All in all, Lamar’s visit to Austin for Weekend 2 of ACL was a reassuring reminder of the caliber of artist and human being he is, and how his songs, both acclaimed and underrated, all hold a special place in his discography.
Check out Lamar’s setlist from Friday below.
- “N95”
- “ELEMENT.”
- “King Kunta”
- “Worldwide Steppers”
- “Nosetalgia” by Pusha T
- “Backseat Freestyle”
- “m.A.A.d city”
- “Swimming Pools (Drank)”
- “LOYALTY.”
- “DNA.”
- “Rich Spirit”
- “HUMBLE.”
- “Sidewalks” by The Weeknd
- “Count Me Out”
- “Money Trees”
- “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
- “Die Hard”
- “LOVE.”
- “Alright”
- “Savior”
Photo by Pooneh Ghana for ACL Fest 2023
