I had never been to a concert, unless Kidz Bop counts, until now. My first concert was perfection and truly something I will never forget: a spectacular night full of high emotions and singing along.
My roommates and I attended Conan Gray’s Wishbone World Tour. I had been listening to Conan Gray since the very beginning of his career, long before he became widely known. I always joke that I knew him before fame, but in a way, I feel like I really did.
Last semester I had thought I’d get the chance to see him in concert, but the timing didn’t work out. When I found out he would be performing again, I made it my mission to go. My roommates and I had been checking tickets almost every day since we got back from winter break, following the prices.
We didn’t buy tickets until the morning of the day before the concert. It was a little risky, but it was worth it. The moment we bought tickets, my eyes watered and my heart bounced.
I was going to see Conan Gray.
I kept telling my roommates about the songs I hoped he would play. “The Exit” was my favorite song from my favorite album, “Superache.”
The next day, we drove to Raleigh, NC. We did some sightseeing, since I had never been to Raleigh before. It was nice but the whole day I kept thinking, “In just a few hours I’ll be in the same building as Gray.”
We arrived at the arena and I couldn’t stop squealing. I felt like a little kid seeing Santa Claus. I skipped and laughed while we walked to the door.
As soon as we entered, I hurried my roommates to a merch table where I bought my first piece of touring merch. A lot of firsts for me happened that night.
At one point a girl came up to us and gave us beaded bracelets with different song titles on them. I grabbed the bracelet, “Fight or Flight,” which Gray ended up singing during his campfire segment of the show.
Our seats were high up, but I didn’t even care. We took pictures while singing along to the preshow playlist and then took our seats.
After we sat down though, a worker approached us holding tickets. I froze unsure of what was about to happen ,and then she offered us upgraded seats in the lower left bowl, right beside the stage.
I grabbed my chest and almost started crying. All my roommates turned to me immediately to let me make the decision. I shakily said yes.
We all called our moms to tell them what had just happened. I was crying and full of excitement. My mom and I both squealed on the phone, she knew how much I wanted to be there.
While we waited for the show to start, we watched an amazing opener, Esha Tewari, who played a venue-wide trivia game on Gray’s life. I was eagerly watching what was happening backstage through a small opening in the curtains.
Eventually, the lights went out, and it was time for him to perform. He came out on a bicycle and the song “My World” started. He played songs from all his eras, which I was thrilled about.
Halfway through the show, it was time for an audience member to break a wishbone with Gray to decide the next song. If their side was bigger, they would decide between the two songs given.
This concert’s two choices were “The Exit” and “Astronomy.” I started jumping up and down screaming, hoping that the fan wouldchoose “The Exit.”
My roommate started recording my reaction the moment we heard “The Exit” was an option. Thankfully the audience member chose it. I was crying, jumping and began to sing along, I couldn’t believe that I was getting to hear one of my favorite songs live.
The end of the concert came way too quickly. He finished it by singing “Caramel” while blue and white confetti flew around the arena.
Exiting the show, everything felt so surreal. I wanted the night to start all over again.
