Conan Gray @ TD Garden 2/25

Photography by Megan Kwan

Review by Kyra Papillo

Conan Gray says a wishbone never breaks even, but whatever half he’s been holding, it’s clearly working. Headlining his new album “Wishbone,” Gray captures the push-and-pull dynamic of getting the short end of the stick through a deeply raw and emotional story. Creating, in my opinion, his magnum opus, this artist showcased his talent at TD Garden on February 25th in a beautifully articulate fashion, highlighting the flaws and secrecy of queer relationships. 

Before Conan Gray set foot on stage, the crowd was warmed up by Esha Tewari. With an instantly likable indie-folk sound, she played a set of hazy, romantic, effortlessly cool songs. Her most popular track, “Beautiful Boy,” pulled the audience into her melodic, ballad tone, complemented by acoustic guitar. The 19-year-old artist recently rose to prominence through her 2024 single “with ease,” and she will undeniably continue to make headlines.

Setting the scene with blue skies and fields of grass, Gray rode a bike onto the stage for his first act, “a wishbone never breaks even,” opening with “My World.” Evoking the atmosphere of a teenager singing in their bedroom, he danced and twirled on stage with pure joy. He followed this with “Never Ending Song” from his 80s-inspired synth album “Found Heaven,” before bowing to the audience and declaring: “Boston has always shown me such love.” 

The second act, “i got the short end of the stick,” flickered onto the screen, alongside an outfit change into pajamas. As a bed rolled onto the stage, Gray sank into it for a performance of “Class Clown.” As a direct nod to his mantra of writing songs from his bed, Gray invited the audience to immerse themselves in his vulnerable, authentic creative process. 

One of the standout moments of the night was Gray’s performance of “People Watching,” a track representing the raw longing for someone out of reach. Mid-song, a fan handed him a pride flag, which he waved for the remainder of the performance, filling TD Garden with an electric and communal energy. 

Before the show began, audience members had been handed slips of blue paper instructing them to hold them over their phone flashlights during “Eleven Eleven.” When the moment arrived, the room was washed in blue hues. On the big screen, the admiration on Gray’s face was undeniable. This moment calls back to his early YouTube days, where he once said, “selling out venues would be my dream.” At this moment, it was clear his wish had come true, selling out TD Garden with a capacity of almost 20,000 seats. 

In a creative shift, Gray walked out to a campfire and stool for his segment titled “Conan’s Campfire.” Here, he revealed that his favorite film was a local favorite, Good Will Hunting. Naturally, his surprise song of the night, “Movies,” followed. 

Emerging in a pirate-esque sailor outfit for Act III, “i took the long way to realization,” with a sailboat as the central set piece, the level of thought poured into this tour was impossible to ignore. Gray debuted a new song, “The Best,” displaying the lyrics on screen so the audience could sing along. He then paused to invite an audience member to break a wishbone with him, a physical manifestation of his album title. Whoever got the bigger half would choose the next song. After the snap, he quickly shoved the larger piece into the fan’s hand and declared, “You won!” With this, the audience collectively cheered at the fan’s request of “Sunset Tower” from his headlining album. 

An emotionally charged rendition of “Heather” followed; this version was released as part of his fifth anniversary “Kid Krow, Decomposed” album. As the song that launched him into stardom, the audience sang every word back to him without hesitation.

For his final act, “i wished for love, and i found it,” Gray closed the evening with his most gut-wrenching material, finalizing the end of a chapter. As the opening notes of “Vodka Cranberry” began, one of my favorite songs from the new album, the audience sat to the edge of their seats. Detailing nods to the limerence stage of a breakup, the crowd clearly held this heartbreaking mantra close to their hearts. 

A wishbone has always been a symbol of a desire not yet granted, a longing for something that would always be out of reach. But over two hours at TD Garden, Conan Gray flipped this narrative, making a compelling case that the other side of that longing is something worth discovering.