The Toyota Center felt like stepping into a different world on Wednesday, March 11th, as Conan Gray brought his Wishbone World Tour to Houston. Fans showed up in pajamas and sailor costumes, a clear sign of how connected they feel to the Texas-born singer-songwriter. The night unfolded in four parts, each one exploring heartbreak, longing, and growth through Gray’s mix of personal storytelling and theatrical performance.
Opening act Esha Tewari started things off with “bad decision!” setting a tone of honesty right from the beginning. After playing “In Twos,” someone in the crowd shouted, “I love you!” and Tewari took a moment to respond. “I love you, Texas! I was in Fort Worth yesterday, and you guys are awesome, and I played here last year on my first-ever tour in the U.S., and Texas filled out very quickly. I love you, Texas!”
What made Tewari’s set work was how simple it felt. The stage stayed mostly bare, and she moved between guitar and solo vocals throughout. During “About Me,” she had the crowd sing along on the chorus. She closed with “Muse,” leaving the impression of an artist who knows exactly who she is. Her performance relied on personal lyrics and straightforward delivery, proof that you don’t need flashy production to connect with people.
During the break between sets, fans tested their Conan Gray knowledge through an interactive quiz on the side screens. Questions ranged from “Where did Conan grow up?” (Georgetown, Texas) to lighter moments like “Who was Conan’s first ex?” (Vecna). These small touches hinted at what became clear as the night went on: Gray’s fans know his story inside and out.
The crowd itself told part of the story. People filled the venue in pajamas, nodding to Gray’s previous North American tour, The Wishbone Pajama Show, while others wore sailor outfits inspired by his album covers. That level of investment doesn’t happen by accident. Gray has built something closer to a community than a typical fan base.
As people sang along to Olivia Rodrigo‘s “bad idea right?” playing over the speakers, the lights suddenly went down. Act I’s title appeared on screen: “a wishbone never breaks even.” Behind the band, who were already dressed as sailors, rolling hills and blue skies stretched across the massive display. Then Gray rode out on a bicycle, wearing his own sailor outfit, immediately pulling everyone into the world of Wishbone.
His performance of “My World” carried real warmth as he moved across the stage with visible joy, singing “it’s my world and it’s my life.” The mood shifted into “Never Ending Song” from his 2024 album Found Heaven, its ’80s new wave energy filling the arena. Gray stopped to greet the crowd directly: “Houston! How are we doing tonight! My name is Conan. And welcome to The Wishbone World Tour!”
With a wide smile, he moved into a heartfelt version of “Care” followed by an energetic take on “Wish You Were Sober” from his debut album Kid Krow. Midway through, he added, “Thank you so much for coming out tonight! I’m so happy to be back in Texas, oh my god! Have a great time, I love you, Texas!”
Act II, called “i got the short end of the stick,” brought a change in tone. Gray came back in sparkly blue pajamas and climbed into a bed on stage, visually calling back to the space where he wrote much of the album. This section focused on his more vulnerable songs, dealing with rejection and loneliness through “Class Clown,” “People Watching,” “The Cut That Always Bleeds,” “Eleven Eleven,” and “Nauseous.”
A fan-led moment made “Nauseous” feel special. Before the show, someone had passed out red pieces of paper with instructions to hold them up to phone flashlights during the song. The result was a wave of red light across Toyota Center, giving Gray’s wistful performance an almost dreamlike quality. Small gestures like that show how much thought fans put into these shows.
The middle of the concert brought something truly unique. Sitting in front of a fake fire pit with an acoustic guitar, Gray introduced “Conan’s Campfire,” a segment inspired by Taylor Swift’s tradition of playing surprise songs at each stop. For Houston, he chose “The Other Side,” a track he hadn’t performed in years that held deep meaning as the song that got him signed to a label.
“Howdy y’all! How are y’all doing? Good, good? Me too. Welcome to Conan’s campfire!” he began warmly. “Now there are so many songs that I’ve written, so many songs, and maybe too many. And it always breaks my heart that there are so many songs that I’ve never gotten to sing to you guys here on tour. So I thought that for The Wishbone World Tour, I would take a moment and sing some of these songs that I don’t normally get to sing with you guys here in Houston.”
He continued: “This song that I’m going to sing today is one that I just selfishly wanted to sing myself here in Texas. It’s a song that I wrote many, many, many, many years ago, and it means the world to me. I think this song asks the question, and tonight I feel like I kinda know the answer to the question. So if you know the words, please sing along.” The moment felt less like a performance and more like letting the audience in on something private.
Act III, “i took the long way to realization,” began with a short film about romantic complications while Gray changed into his third outfit: a navy vest and pants with a white shirt and flowing fabric over one leg. The style fit his performance of “Romeo” perfectly.
He then played an unreleased song called “The Best,” putting the lyrics on screen so everyone could sing along. Letting the crowd in on new material before it’s officially out says something about how Gray sees his relationship with fans.
One of the night’s most creative moments came when Gray picked an audience member named Olivia to break a wishbone with him. Whoever got the bigger piece would choose between two songs, “The Exit” and “Yours.” Olivia won and picked “The Exit,” sending the crowd into a singing, dancing frenzy. Turning a simple prop into an interactive moment made it feel like everyone shared in the choice.
The emotional high point of Act III arrived with “Heather,” Gray’s most famous song, thanks to its time on TikTok. He played the “lost verse” version from the five-year anniversary album Kid Krow, Decomposed, its sadness deepened by ocean images on screen and a black and white video of Gray performing. The mix of visuals and honest emotion hit hard.
The final act, “i wished for love, and i found it,” wrapped up both the story and the show. Gray tore through “Maniac” with clear excitement, the crowd shouting every word. He closed the main set with “Vodka Cranberry,” the lead single from Wishbone, a song about taking control and walking away from a messy relationship.
Of course, there was an encore. Gray came back in a glittery marching band uniform with a wishbone on the back to play “Memories” and “Caramel,” leaving the audience with what he called a “sweet taste in their mouth.”
Throughout the night, Gray showed he knows how to work a crowd, getting thousands of people to jump and sing without much effort. But beneath the production and costume changes, something else came through. Here was an artist completely comfortable in his own skin, playing for fans who have grown up alongside him.
The Wishbone World Tour does more than promote a new album. It shows what happens when an artist stays true to themselves instead of watering things down for a wider audience. Gray’s music blends indie pop sensitivity with theatrical touches, and that mix works because it doesn’t try to fit neatly into any category. At a time when so much feels manufactured, he offers something real.
Houston got to host this stop on the tour. And everyone who filled Toyota Center, dressed in pajamas and sailor suits, singing along to every song, got something genuine in return.
I am a creative based in Houston, Texas. I am a University of Houston Alumni working as a Marketing and Communications Specialist for a local agency. I enjoy discovering new music, regardless of genre, as music is the universal language. In my free time, I enjoy thrifting and discovering new stories waiting to be explored.
