Review: The final show of the Big Stepper's Tour concluding in Auckland meant fans were met with an incredibly grateful Kendrick Lamar - who showed the audience how much he loves performing in Aotearoa.
Last on these shores in 2018 for his tour for his album DAMN, he was a hot ticket at the time, with shows selling out within moments of being announced.
After being away for four years, the United States rapper certainly didn't disappoint his throngs of fans.
Scheduled on stage at 9pm, the crowd waited patiently for him to arrive, with anticipation furthered by every delayed moment. Despite the horrendously muggy atmosphere within Auckland's Spark Arena, fans were more than willing to forgive him the delay - and once he arrived, it was more than worth it.
As the light dimmed, and clouds of smoke wisped through the mainstage, Lamar made his presence known, playing only a single note on the piano. It was all the crowd needed to seal the deal, screaming their excitement from the get-go.
Beginning the set at the piano with songs from his latest album, Mr Morale and the Big Steppers the show never once let up - and it constantly offered surprises in among the music, thanks to some theatrical touches.
In a strange turn of events after impressing with his piano skills, he swiftly moved to the middle of the stage, holding a puppet which looked incredibly similar to him. Things got weirder - and yet somehow wilder, as he performed the first couple of songs with the puppet to the almost sold-out arena.
The puppet didn't stay for the entire set, disappearing after his Auckland debut and not being seen for the rest of the set.
But it was Lamar's earlier material which really got the crowd in the mood.
After performing a third song from his latest album, Lamar broke out 'Element' from his 2017 album DAMN.
Beginning with a James Bond-themed silhouette and jokingly conducting the crowd, it all stepped up a notch as flames fired up around the stage and the crowd went crazy.
The performance element of Lamar's show kicked in - as he glided around the stage, the black and white suited dancers appeared, elegantly offering support and adding to the visuals of the occasion. For the majority of the song, the crowd jumped in unison and belted out the chorus, a movie which the rapper appeared to love as he waved to everyone around him whilst they sang.
Lamar definitely has his fair share of songs which don't require people to jump around and he proved that with his song 'WorldWide Steppers' which could only be described as a powerful slam poetry piece.
He showed his softer side to his New Zealand fans by having a single spotlight on him as he performed the emotive piece about his children and how he wanted to protect them.
Despite only making fans wait a couple of minutes between each song change, the arena packed full of sweaty people still screamed his name before every song.
If Lamar thought 'Element' was the song to get the people going, he would've been startled by the sheer eruption from the crowd as he began playing 'BackStreet FreeStyle' from his 2012 album good kid, m.A.A.d city.
As well as the puppet, the rapper also had something which some fans may have found a touch bizarre.
Between some of the songs, Dame Helen Mirren narrated the show referring to the rapper as Mr Morale and giving him advice as to how he can be a better person as if she was a therapist.
Although Lamar is a rapper he did a phenomenal job at making sure the visual effects for each performance had the audience in awe. It was a stage show like no other as clouds of smoke, flames and different-coloured light beams appeared in each song, rendering every single one as a piece of performance art and not just a by-the-book concert.
An hour into his set the rapper played the song 'Love' where he engaged with the crowd by getting them to sing the song's title and sway around the arena.
As Lamar's set slowly drew to a close he brought out rapper Baby Keem who, despite only being 22 years old, lit up the stage as he came on to perform his collab hit 'Family Ties'.
With the rapper slowing things down for the end of the tour, it slowly dawned on the crowd the set would be ending. As he readied himself to perform his last few songs, the audience erupted, chanting "Kendrick Lamar" to the tune of the White Stripes' anthem 'Seven Nation Army'.
At two hours long, Lamar never faulted in his efforts and enthusiasm as the world tour came to a close.
"You guys are the most dedicated fans," he yelled as the show wrapped up, and then he showed his class, thanking each dancer individually, by yelling out their names and demonstrating to everyone in the arena how much they meant to him.
As it was the last show for The Big Steppers tour, Lamar told the audience how grateful he was to finish on such a high note, hugging every single one of his dancers, some of whom had tears in their eyes as the realisation dawned on them the world tour was over.
He then performed one final number which he told the audience was the last song he ever recorded on the Mr Morale and The Big Steppers album. The father of two had everyone up on their feet to jump around and enjoy the show's conclusion, turning the muggy arena atmosphere into something electric.
With his final words, "We love y'all, we will be back", Lamar wrapped his show up and left the fans desperate for more, but left every single one of them with more than a sea of memories to reflect on - and a hope that it wouldn't be four years until he returns again.
