On February 28th, TD Garden exploded in shrieks and cheers as the arena lights dimmed: The Wishbone Word Tour in Boston was about to begin. Children accompanied by friends and their parents grabbed onto each other, already bursting into tears at the idea that their favorite artist was about to be right in front of them. Teens and 20-somethings hurriedly shut down their digital cameras after finishing taking photos of each other in their elaborate, album-inspired outfits and homemade costumes. Even the older part of the crowd rushed to get out their phones to film the highly anticipated opening. Finally, Conan Gray emerged onstage. He rode out on a bicycle, waving and tipping his sailor hat at the sold-out crowd, beginning the show with the upbeat fan-favorite “My World” from his newest album Wishbone.
Following the release of his latest album, Gray performed a slew of shows he called “pajama parties” in major cities before announcing The Wishbone World Tour, his first-ever arena tour. Although the tour had only recently begun, it ran like a well-oiled machine once it landed in Boston. The show is broken down into three main “acts” based on various song groupings from Gray’s discography, each with accompanying sets and costumes. In between Acts I and II, Gray performs an acoustic “surprise song” in the show’s “campfire session” portion, surrounded by a campfire-like set at one end of the wishbone-shaped stage. Gray chooses a song close to his heart or related to the city in which he’s performing. In Boston, Gray chose “Movies,” a track from his sophomore album, Superache, because of his love for the film Good Will Hunting and its ties to Boston.
Changing from glittery PJs into a pirate-inspired look, Gray later performs a new song, “The Best.” By the time he’d reached Boston, fans had already learned all the words. Gray also engaged directly with a fan during the “breaking of the wishbone” section of the show. Chosen for his elaborate DIY Superache themed costume and intense enthusiasm at the barricade, Gray and the fan who introduced themself as River broke a real wishbone, with the incentive that whoever got the longer side would get to choose between two songs for Gray to perform next. Naturally, River won the contest and got to decide between “The Exit” from Superache and “Sunset Tower” from Wishbone, and they chose the latter. Gray even incorporated their name in the song’s lyrics while performing. Some other notable moments during the show included the chaos from the audience that ensued when fans realized that Gray was performing his first hit song from his first album Kid Krow, “Heather.” Just at the sound of the opening notes, the crowd went nuts. Also, when Gray performed the heartwrenching track “Family Line” from Superache, the entire crowd sang along with Gray, supporting him through the incredibly emotional performance. Fans also brought their full enthusiasm for “Maniac” and “Memories” as the show closed out.
Check out all of Hannah’s photos from the show below.
