From the first explosive bar of his first track of the night, DNA, Lamar - appearing as his alter-ego Kung Fu Kenny - had the 16,000 strong-crowd at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Tuesday night in the palm of his hands.
Without so much as an introduction, Lamar then launched straight into the self-referential Element, asserting himself and immediately grabbing the attention of every eyeball in the stadium.
For the rest of the night it was all about Lamar and the crowd never stopped jumping.
Although it only lasted just over an hour, the 31-year-old was able to pack in a 19-song set list, giving a sense of pace complimenting his lyrical talents and the heavy backing beats.
With his live band hidden in the wings, Lamar, dressed in an all black martial-arts outfit, owned every square inch of the stage.
The crowd's focus was only intermittently interrupted by the occasional pyrotechnic and samurai sword-wielding backing dancer.
Many the of the Compton native's hard-hitting on tracks such as m.A.A.d city delved into the social and political realities and struggles facing African- American communities in the 21st century.
But inside the stadium on Tuesday night - to use Lamar's own words - it was all about the vibe and energy.
And from the dark funk of King Kunta to the zigzagging deep bass on Humble, the hip-hop star was able to emanate an electrifying energy which flowed through the crowd for the entire night.
At one stage the music was stopped so Lamar could remind those tightly packed in right in front of him to keep safe and let those in trouble make their way to the front so they could be looked after.
''It's all love in here tonight.''
The night ended with an encore and two versions of the mega-hit All The Stars.
For the first half of the two-part encore, Lamar stood back and let the crowd take on the role of performer, before taking back the mic and showing why he is the biggest name in hip-hop.
Before leaving the stage he gave the crowd their dues for what they added to the show.
''There's an energy in here tonight, ya'll brought it.''
Or that's what it sounded like, as he was almost drowned out by the roar of the crowd thanking him back.
Lamar will play shows in Auckland at the Spark Arena tonight and tomorrow night.
