Conan Gray review: ‘A joyous and theatrical four-act experience’

The Wishbone World Tour, which marked Gray’s first-ever all-arena world tour, started in Minneapolis back in February and has seen fans arrive in droves donning sailor hats, sailor outfits, and red and blue clown makeup, matching the themes from Gray’s ‘Wishbone’ album that peaked at No. 2 on the UK’s Official Albums Charts. Saturday night at AO Arena was no different as fans in sailor hats packed out the standing section, so much so that a man sitting next to me asked his son if he could tally up the exact number there.

As for Gray himself, he’s certainly capitalising on his ascent to performing in arena-sized venues, splitting the set into four acts. The first act, titled 'A Wishbone Never Breaks Even', saw the 27-year-old arrive on a stage resembling a farm field, donning a sailor outfit and pedalling a bicycle before jumping off and grabbing a microphone placed in a letterbox prior to opening the performance with the joyous pop of ‘My World’.

The 1980s-esque, synth-heavy ‘Never-Ending Song’ saw an excitable Gray cover every inch of the stage. The melancholic pop-rock of ‘Care’ exploded into a big, arena-friendly singalong, and the bittersweet ‘Wish You Were Sober’, which benefitted from a muscular arrangement featuring two bright electric guitars, saw Gray explore his wishbone-shaped catwalks and wave excitedly to fans in the standing pit. It was clear from the outset, Gray was having as much fun as his audience were.

Following the exhilarating four-track opening act, Gray changed into a sparkly pyjama set and collapsed atop a double bed, leading into act two, titled "I got the short end of the stick”, starting the dreamy and intimate segment of the evening. ‘Eleven Eleven’ had the 27-year-old and his seven-piece band backed by a moon backdrop and served as a lights-out moment of the evening, leaving a beaming Gray with a wide grin on his face.

The heartfelt vocals of ‘The Cut That Always Bleeds’ took centre stage and underlined the strength of the 27-year-old’s vocals. The gradual build-up on ‘Class Clown’ with the explosion of instrumentation midway through elevating the track into a live masterpiece. The confessional-style ‘Nauseous’ felt equally packed with emotion, but that level of candour and vulnerability is refreshing, and it’s clear why Gray has developed such a sizeable fanbase.

Nevertheless, each night on the ‘Wishbone World Tour’ has a unique feel. Conan’s campfire segment, a section which was arguably the highlight of the evening, sees Gray strip-back the instrumentation, leaving just an acoustic guitar, his vocal and a campfire. This time around, the AO Arena was treated to the live debut of ‘House That Always Rains' – a song that left 20,000+ singing their hearts out.

In act three, the 27-year-old scoured the crowd to find a fan eager to help him break a wishbone and select the surprise song of the evening, with the person in possession of the largest half of the wishbone emerging victorious. Albeit, in this challenge with a fan dressed in clown paint, Gray won the larger piece but instead softly threw the large piece to the fan, excitedly declaring, "You won!" to a chorus of laughs from the audience. The prize? The option of picking ‘Yours’ or ‘The Exit’, the fan subsequently chose the latter, and it’s no surprise why. The sharp drumming, bright guitars and the usage of strings helped elevate the rendition into a piece of pop theatre.

The disco-influenced ‘Maniac’ was undoubtedly a crowd favourite and delivered the biggest singalong of the evening. ‘Vodka Cranberry’ felt delightfully soul-stirring in a live setting and set the tone perfectly for the encore, with Gray donning a sparkling military suit as he returned to the stage. After bringing the evening to a close with renditions of ‘Memories’ and ‘Caramel’, the 27-year-old left the stage for a final time, and end credits rolled, thanking the members of his crew, wrapping up a flawlessly executed theatrical performance.