Ever since Beyoncé pulled the first Beyoncé with Beyoncé a year and a half ago, just about every artist in music has been locked in an arms race to out-surprise everyone else. There have been the surprise albums, of course, but there have also been the surprise performances. Last year there was Kanye and U2 and Bruce Springsteen showing up without notice in Times Square. Right now there is Prince ambushing fans all over the country with his “Hit & Run” tour. And now, last night, Kendrick Lamar drove through Hollywood performing a surprise concert on a flatbed truck.
Now that fans are literally running through the streets struggling keep up with their favorite artists, where is there left to go from here? When will the Kool-Aid Man school of live music promotion jump the shark?
