Yesterday, Central Park played host to the Global Citizen Festival. The annual event, which is curated by Coldplay front man Chris Martin, seeks to end extreme poverty across the globe by 2030 as proposed by the United Nationals Sustainable Developmental Goals. It's an honorable cause for sure, and one that brings a bevy of music's biggest talents to the stage.
This year's lineup was stacked with one superstar after another. In addition to Martin, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder showed up, as did Rihanna, Usher, Ellie Goulding, Cat Stevens, Demi Lovato, and Metallica. While everyone obviously brought their A-game, from reports on the ground, it seems like the real showstopper was none other than Kendrick Lamar. It really shouldn't be a surprise by this point of course. K-Dot has spent the last 18 months criss-crossing the globe, burning down one festival stage after another.
For his set last night, King Kenny dug deep and pulled out a setlist that spanned his entire career, including “Alright,” “Backseat Freestyle,” “Swimming Pools,” "King Kunta," “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe." He also busted out a version of his TDE buddy ScHoolboy Q's most recent hit "THat Part." He did it all while standing in front of a backdrop of a George Clinton quote that read, “Look both ways before you cross my mind," which is prominently featured in Lamar's song "Wesley's Theory" off of To Pimp a Butterfly.
It's hard to pick out a standout song. Watch them all in the clips above.
