The Wishbone Pajama Show: A Tribute Review
Image Credit: conangray via Instagram
By: Charlie Hoang
Conan Gray’s much-anticipated “Wishbone Pajama Show” delighted its way through the bay and left behind only the best memories I think life could offer
Spending my preteen years online during the pandemic led me down a rabbit hole of 2020-specific TikTok music, and has left me with a few remaining favorite artists from that time. With trending songs like “Maniac,” “Wish You Were Sober,” and his most popular song, “Heather,” Conan Gray easily became one of these artists. As he’s grown and released three albums since then, I can confidently say I could recite his discography verbatim.
His music is fused in my heart through nostalgia, sentiment, and relatability. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend Conan’s “Wishbone Pajama Show” — the tour supporting his fourth and most recent album, Wishbone. To describe it concisely: it was the greatest experience of my life. Although for those who are less than Conan Gray superfans, I’d like to break down the aspects of the concert that made it so memorable.
- Venue: ★★★☆☆
Admittedly, the venue was the worst part of the show (and memorable for unfavorable reasons). The general parking was luckily expansive, considering the sheer amount of concert-goers piling in. Unfortunately, this was a blessing and a curse. The lot was a bit of a walk to the theater itself, and there were even vibrant surrey bikes offering rides for $10 a person. Additionally, trying to exit the parking lot was nightmarish. Even though my friend and I started sprinting out of our seats and the theater as soon as Conan began walking off stage, we were still caught in foot traffic. When the real traffic came, it took us an entire hour to leave the venue. I ended up getting home at 12 am when the show ended at 10:30 pm. On the bright side, there were several food stands, and the theater itself was gigantic. I would have never anticipated that the indie artist I began listening to at 11 would blow up to sell out tens of thousands of tickets.
- Merchandise: ★★★★☆
Of course, I had to purchase merchandise to comment on it (in other words, for the sake of journalism). Although I loved the merch designs, the price was off-putting. If I hadn’t saved specifically for merch, I would’ve walked away. In fact, I almost did, and it wasn’t because of prices, but rather the absurdly long line. When I first saw it, I backed off immediately. It wasn’t until after more people started settling into their seats that my friend and I decided to revisit it. In total, I spent $130—$65 on a sweatshirt, $35 on a tour t-shirt, and $20 begrudgingly on a tour tote bag because they didn’t have paper/plastic bags. My feeble justification for the prices (from most to least convincing) is that the shirt is 100% cotton and it’s tour merch, the sweatshirt is 50% cotton (and 50% polyester, unfortunately) and it’s tour merch, and there is no justification for the tote bag. I’ve reconciled the hole in my pocket purely through my love for the Wishbone album.
- Opener: ★★★★★
The opener was Hemlocke Springs, a rising synth-pop artist best known for her song “girlfriend” that went viral on social media. Initially, I did not recognize her until I realized I knew “girlfriend,” although I did miss half of the performance during my merch stand endeavors. Her vibe was a 5/5, no notes. I know other people who attended the show and did not like her music, but despite not knowing most of her songs, I was drawn by her authenticity and electric energy. Though her music isn’t something I’d normally listen to, and it’s starkly different from Conan’s. In general, however, I’m a proponent of supporting openers and love the idea of bigger artists platforming new artists and providing fans with opportunities to broaden their horizons. Thus, I am a new Hemlocke Springs enjoyer.
- Theme: ★★★★★
The theme ranged from sailor costumes to pajamas (hence, the tour’s name); the crowd was littered with fans in red and white sailor hats and others in their favorite striped pajamas. The stage backdrops featured sunsets, night skies, and props like beds and boats for Conan to frolic around in. In each of the show’s four acts, he changed into a new costume, ending with a brilliant sequined sailor suit. Overall, the theme was followed through precisely, and I loved seeing so many other fans dressed up.
Image credits: conangray via Instagram
- Setlist: ★★★★★
The setlist couldn’t have been more perfect. Featuring songs from his three previous albums (Kid Krow, Superache, and Found Heaven), along with eleven of his songs from Wishbone, it was heaven for veteran Conan Gray fans.
- Act I: a wishbone never breaks even
Act one kicked off the show with “My World,” the album’s most upbeat, carefree song. It was followed by “Never Ending Song,” and “Bourgeoisieses,” the two most popular songs from Found Heaven. After that came one of his biggest hits, “Wish You Were Sober,” from back when he first gained popularity. Around here is when I began questioning if I was really watching him perform these songs live.
- Act II: i got the short end of the stick
Act two consisted of his older popular songs, like “People Watching” (to which I am deeply committed) and “The Cut That Always Bleeds” (in which I could hear the girls behind me crying through). Conan also played three more Wishbone songs: “Class Clown,” “Eleven Eleven,” and “Nauseous.” All of which were indisputable bangers, with my favorite being Nauseous.
- Act III: i took the long way to realization
During Act three, Conan played the surprise song. Each show, he chooses a member in the audience or a special guest to choose between two songs not on the predetermined setlist. For our show, the options were “Care,” the last song on Wishbone, or “The Exit,” a fan favorite on Superache. My friends and I were praying for “The Exit,” but the guest chose Care, which was nevertheless amazing. The other songs were “Romeo,” “This Song,” “Heather(Lost Verse Version),” and “Family Line.” Although the original “Heather” is arguably Conan Gray’s biggest song, I’ve heard it so many times that it was the least memorable for me. Still great, of course, but I have many other favorites from his older work, like “Family Line.”
- Act IV: i wished for love and i found it
Act four was the best part of the show. There is nothing to argue. It was jam-packed with all the best songs on the album, along with “Maniac” from Kid Krow and “Memories” from Superache. At this point, my voice was obliterated, and I could feel my larynx longing for reprieve, but I pushed through and was as loud as these songs deserved. Conan started with “Connell,” my second favorite song on Wishbone, followed by “Actor,” and “Vodka Cranberry,” which he performed at the VMAs recently. For his last song, the culmination of the show, he performed “Caramel.” “Caramel” is my absolute favorite song from his discography in the past 3 years. Like many of Conan’s songs, “Caramel” portrays an insurmountable yearning, but subverts his on-brand sorrow by settling into love and high spirits. It was the only way to end the act “i wished for love and i found it,” and the greatest way to end the night.
Although my experience is diminished by the limitations of my words, I can assure you that this concert was the pinnacle of my musical experience. Watching an artist whose music carried me through every major moment in the last half-decade perform live was life-changing. Conan Gray is an asian, queer male artist with a discography of dynamite. He is every unconventional teen who’s ever felt behind, alienated, or desolate in their pursuit of romance or life. His music is ingrained in my soul and beats alongside my heart. My overall rating of the concert is a 5/5, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Wishbone by Conan Gray is out now, and streaming on all platforms: https://conangray.lnk.to/wishbone