Fans gather in pajama sets and glitter at Conan Gray’s performance of the Wishbone Pajama Tour, leaving them singing, screaming, and crying, as the show blends storytelling and visuals in a way that has them holding on to every word.
Gray is a 26 year old singer and songwriter whose release of the Wishbone album on Aug. 15, 2025, was met with love and excitement after hearing the raw emotion in his lyrics. The concert dates were released on May 29 and were set to start Sep. 11 and end Oct. 19, 2025, leaving fans planning outfits around an exciting new theme.
Upon entering the venue, Menlo-Atherton freshman Sophie Lin, like many others, said she knew this was going to be such a special experience.
“My first impression was unity, because everyone had the same sort of vibes and look to their outfits; it was really a consistent group of people,” Lin said.
A main theme of the show was the use of pajama attire. Gray said in an Instagram post that pajamas are encouraged but not required. According to fans, the pajama theme is intended to evoke comfort for both Gray in his music and for the fans attending the concert, as well as to symbolize the vulnerability that this album has showcased.
“The costumes of the Wishbone Tour were made to tell a story,” Gray said in a statement, according to V Magazine. “We start the top of the show with a normal version of me, the sailor uniform that we see on the album cover, but as we progress through the storyline of my heartbreak and coming-of-age, you start to see me change. During my heartbreak, I’m in pajamas, as I spent a lot of time in bed writing the album. Then we see me start to find myself again, returning to very romantic silhouettes. Lastly, by the end of the show, I end up in a captain’s uniform — as so much of this album is about me finally becoming the captain of my own life.”
A unique aspect of Gray’s show was the way he managed his setlist. There are four acts plus an encore. Act One: A Wishbone Never Breaks Even, featuring the songs “My World,” “Never Ending Song,” “Bourgeoisies,” and “Wish You Were Sober.”
Act Two: I Got the Short End of the Stick features the songs “Class Clown,” “People Watching,” “The Cut That Always Bleeds,” “Eleven Eleven,” and “Nauseous.”
Act Three: I Took the Long Way to Realization has the songs “Romeo,” “This Song,” a surprise song, “Heather” (“Lost Verse” version), “Family Line,” and “Connell.”
Act Four: I Wished for Love, and I Found It, features the songs “Actor,” “Maniac” (Extended intro with band introductions), and “Vodka Cranberry,” as well as a fake outro.
The encore features the songs “Memories” and “Caramel” to close off the night.
The surprise song at Mountain View was “Care”, chosen over “The Exit” by a fan. All of the surprise songs are chosen after a fan breaks a wishbone with Gray, and whoever wins chooses the song among two options. This created a sense of personal connection between Gray and his fans.
“When he chose a fan from the audience to pick a song, it felt very authentic and like he really did enjoy talking to that person,” Lin said.
Due to Gray’s crowd engagement, fans recalled the experience as feeling both unique and touching.
The concert set is another unique part of the tour. There were many aspects that made the show unique, such as a country setting depicting windmills and hay, and a transition to a bedroom theme that showcased different emotions throughout the show.
“The lights and visuals were a big part of the emotions you felt while he was singing- sometimes the lights were much brighter and more like a disco for his upbeat songs, while sometimes they dimmed and got more melancholy for his slower songs,” Lin said.
“There are not many performers that do all of these different setups and props, which is unique for Shoreline, I would say. The fans were super sweet, especially to one another,” said Siena Banks, an employee at Shoreline Amphitheater.
Gray’s music generally connects with an audience that consists largely of Gen Z and young millennials who relate to his heartfelt, emotional, and authentic music. His music has also connected with adults and parents of this age group.
Jacqueline Quintanilla-Lin, mother of a teenage fan, became a fan of her own thanks to her daughter’s introduction. She describes the connections that can be made between his music and her generation through the themes of pain from life experiences, as well as the joys of falling for someone new.
“The concert was a safe space to have fun and to express yourself freely. The songs are positive in that they allow validation for all sorts of feelings, and I like dancing to them because they’re fun, like ‘Maniac,’” Quintanilla-Lin said. “My daughter introduced us to his music about a year ago, and I was not expecting to see the elaborate sets and his growth as a stage performer the way it happened.”
As well as creating a safe feeling environment, Callie Hernandez, a sophomore at Carlmont High School, describes the vivid atmosphere and emotions even before Gray took to the stage. She recalls seeing genuine interactions between people and the connections created through Gray’s music.
“I saw couples in each other’s arms, friends jumping around together, and family members picnicking together,” Hernandez said. “Everyone sang his lyrics, and there was a fan project where everyone put papers over their phone flashlights, which created a magical feeling because everyone was participating and feeling the music.”
This concert served as a symbol of Gray’s emotional journey and growth, from his initial state of heartbreak to taking control of his own life.
The Mexican leg of the concert is set to take place in three locations starting Oct. 16, building excitement about Gray’s first time touring in Mexico.
Gray’s concert drew a large crowd of dedicated fans who came to support him and listen to his music. To the surprise of the employees, there was outstanding female attendance and lots of enthusiasm surrounding the event in Mountain View.
“The percentile was 95% female and 5% male, which is something we never see, so that’s kind of a unique and cool experience,” Banks said.
