Internet pop sensation, Conan Gray, started off on YouTube, got signed through Republic Records, and went viral on TikTok for his song called “Heather.” With Baby Queen as the opener, this dynamic duo rocked the stage with unapologetic anthems of love, heartbreak, and loving yourself and others through it all. Gray’s most heart-wrenching song that had the crowd in tears is called “Footnote.” The concept of the song revolves around the fact that Gray still loves someone but he is settling for a “footnote” (metaphorically), compared to the “book” in that potential lover’s life. It was clear to see the concerned faces of parents who took their kids to the concert, stating remarks such as “Just get over it.” or “I don’t understand why this is so hard for this generation.” However, this is the issue Gray is solving at hand. He is single-handedly healing generation Z by writing and performing songs a lot of them can relate to that previous generations negatively criticize us for.
Gray promotes feelings and sensitivity by stating, “I quite like myself to a generation who went through family trauma. Gray proceeds to sing “Family Line” as a motivating anthem to fans who grew up with the repercussions of generational trauma. The singer believes that if he can get through his past, his fans are capable as well. That beautiful message resonated when Gray performed his acoustic song, “The Story” and the crowd sang “It’s not the end of the story,” acapella.
As much as there were meaningful songs, Gray’s incredible songwriting abilities have been translated into writing about the teenage experience and this embodies the whole “main character” energy mindset that gets the crowd rejuvenated after some heavy songs. “Maniac” specifically talks about the other person being complicated and confusing, and it’s this whole on-and-off relationship that’s hard to pinpoint. The crowd is screaming these lyrics because the song’s meaning may seem straightforward but there’s barely any musical representation about having absolute hatred towards someone you love but also understanding that they can be vulnerable too.
Overall, Conan Gray’s concert was filled with excitement, mystery, but leaves the crowd with a lifelong lesson they cannot forget: Even though life is filled with so much heartbreak, trauma, love and uncertainty, at the end of the day that makes up a part of who you are and you have yourself and people around you who can help you through those times indefinitely.
Setlist:
- Disaster
- Telepath
- Fight or Flight
- The Exit
- Wish You Were Sober
- Astronomy
- Best Friend
- People Watching
- The Story
- Footnote
- Movies
- Overdrive
- Checkmate
- Jigsaw
- Family Line
- Heather
- Maniac
- Memories
