Natalie Brown
06/06/22
Conan Gray
After a cancelled ‘Kid Krow’ world tour in 2020, 2022 finally saw Conan Gray arrive in the U.K as part of his new world tour. He played a powerful show at the O2 Academy in Birmingham on 6th June.
He kicked off the set with ‘Wish you were sober’, his band made their way on stage first and Conan made an explosive entrance as the projected screen at the back of the stage parted. This was a great choice for the first piece, judging by the intense screams from the audience.
Just over two weeks away from the release of his sophomore album ‘Superache’, he incorporated all five of the released singles into the set. In particular, ‘Memories’ stands out for me, the vocals somehow even more raw and powerful than the studio version made the live show so much more effective. Every element was carefully considered, the projection behind him and his band, changing for each song. During memories, a sea of candles were displayed incorporating images from the songs music video into the performance, an intricate but compelling touch.
It was interesting to hear all of these songs played before the album release and we were blessed with stunning vocals and instrumentals in the song ‘Yours’. Conan made use of the whole stage, elegantly gliding between both sides and often looking up into the balcony area, making everyone in the room feel included.
He made sure to introduce his band, consisting of a drummer, guitarist, bass player and keys. They added depth to the songs played and fit into the live show very well. As he is a solo artist, band members can often be overlooked but as with the audience, Conan made sure they were included too.
‘The Story’ added a personal touch to the night as Conan expressed his difficult childhood and past experiences allowing us all to see more of his personality and he gained a stronger connection with fans. He moved into the song, playing acoustic guitar, a sunset projection displayed behind. This moment changed the atmosphere in the room, although everyone was still buzzing with excitement, we were all more emotional.
His final song before the encore ‘Maniac’ was lively and cheerful regardless of the songs meaning. Actually, even during the sadder songs, Conan struggled not to smile with the welcoming reactions he received. As he left the stage, we were all aware he would return shortly and waited in anticipation.
Conan re-entered wearing a white sweater vest and plaid blue skirt, an iconic outfit from his ‘Kid Krow’ album era. The audience remained just as enthusiastic, as the start and continued the passion as the set ended with ‘Heather’.
Through the impressive set, careful consideration for the fans in the audience and remarkable vocals, this gig was amazing. I struggled to find anything that could have been improved, a reflection of my positive experience. Personally, I would have like to have heard a couple of older songs or perhaps a track from his EP ‘Sunset Season’ instead of mostly recent songs.
This show went above and beyond my expectations. Sometimes pop singers can fail to put on an exciting show however Conan Gray made sure this was not the case incuding a perfect balance of conversation, anecdotes and songs. I left feeling much more connected to him and eagerly awaiting the release of ‘Superache’ for more brilliant music. I would definitely return for his next U.K tour in the future.
コメント