REVIEW: Conan Gray enchants audience with dreamy set


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In the fifth concert of his “Sunset Season” tour, Texas native Conan Gray sang against a backdrop of blue hues and clouds in keeping with the intimate tone of his debut album. (Kasvi Malhotra/Daily Trojan)

Dreamy chants of “Why, why, why” from the chorus of the song “Generation Why” gradually evolved into loud shouts of “Conan, Conan, Conan,” to welcome 20-year old heartthrob Conan Gray onto the stage at the El Rey Theatre Friday night. It was Gray’s second performance in Los Angeles and the fifth performance on tour for his debut EP “Sunset Season.” 

Indie artist Girl in Red set the perfect tone for Gray’s performance with her opening act. The singer, Marie Ulvin, sported her iconic rainbow-colored guitar strap, inciting a member in the audience to throw a rainbow flag onto the stage. Her affinity for audience interaction and her banter with the sound technicians put fans in the ideal space for Gray’s comparatively calmer yet equally passionate performance. 

Cool blue lights, floating clouds and theatrical smoke complemented Gray’s dreamy set. The small El Rey Theatre was the perfect location for the audience to feel intimately connected to the artist onstage. 

Gray alternated between grooving to “Greek God” and swaying slowly while singing “The Other Side.” The pattern continued throughout the concert, keeping the audience on its toes. His more upbeat performances were coupled with intense flashing purple lights, while calmer tracks were set against a memorable dreamy, blue and cloudy background. 

Gray introduced each of his songs with insights into his struggles and inspirations as a singer and songwriter. 

Before landing into “Idle Town,” Gray delivered a speech about growing up in a small town. In another instance, the audience reacted with screams when Gray posed a rhetorical question: “You know those people you’re so in love with that you know you’re never really going to get over them?” He then immediately delved into the heartfelt “Lookalike.” 

Gray also performed his unreleased “Comfort Crowd.” To introduce the number, Gray discussed missing his college friends during the summer when he needed them most. 

Gray ended his set with “Crush Culture,” wearing an orange hat much to the audience’s delight, as they threw out cries of “yeehaws.” Gray replied by channeling his own Texan energy: “Y’all gonna make me cry.”

The overall nostalgic dreaminess of Gray’s appeal was salient during his performance on Friday night. His defining style — dreamy alternative pop — is reminiscent of Troye Sivan’s first few songs in “TRXYE.” Gray embodied a similar dreamy attitude onstage, engrossing his young audience even further.