By: Clare Flynn
On Monday, September 30th, 2024, Conan Gray performed at Madison Square Garden for the first time with his Found Heaven on Tour. Despite playing in New York before, this sold-out show was his biggest performance in the city to date. All over Midtown, Manhattan, fans were decked out in yellow and black, sparkles, and the “Found Heaven” album logo. Having seen Conan four times previously, I could not contain my excitement to see his fun, 80s-inspired album performed live.
The show began around 7:30, with opener Maisie Peters taking the stage. She started with two songs from her most recent album, “The Good Witch,” and then transitioned into some fan favorites from “You Signed Up For This.” Despite being the opening act, Maisie engaged the crowd with her upbeat energy and incredible stage presence. For her set’s “surprise song” portion, she played the iconic “Blonde,” sending the crowd into a frenzy. One extraordinary moment of Maisie’s performance was her song “There It Goes,” in which the entire crowd screamed, “I made it to September!” As a casual listener before the show, Maisie’s amazing vocals and appreciation for the crowd inspired me to dive deeper into her discography.
After Maisie left the stage, the crowd waited with anticipation for 30 minutes before Conan began his set. My sister and I greatly appreciated the pre-show playlist, which included songs like “Girl, so confusing” by Charli XCX and “Girls” by The 1975. The music that filled the arena felt exceptional as we thought it reached the target age demographic at the show. Right in the middle of a crowd-driven “wave” through the arena, the curtain with the “Found Heaven” logo dropped, and the opening bars to the title track began to play.
Conan appeared on stage wearing a black and red outfit with giant stars behind him. The stage set resembled one from the 1980s, with inspiration drawn from David Bowie. Conan began his set with “Fainted Love,” a fan-favorite song from his newest album. While the majority of songs on the setlist were recently released, some tour classics were also performed, including “Wish You Were Sober,” “The Exit,” and “The Cut That Always Bleeds.” Conan encouraged dancing throughout the show and made sure that each fan in the crowd felt appreciated and safe.
When Conan began touring, “The Story” became a staple on the setlist. Before performing the song, Conan gave an extremely emotional speech about his connection to the song and how the love of his fans has forever changed his life. The acoustic performance was perfect and served as a reminder of how so many of us fans fell in love with Conan. Following “The Story,” a new song debuted called “Holidays,” which has recently been released to streaming. The song told the story of returning to our hometowns for the holiday season and how the nostalgia we experience will always be there no matter how old we get.
After a few more songs (including a performance of Heather with the original lyrics!), the encore began. Conan came back on stage with a shirt reading “MSGSES,” a play on the song title of his song “Bourgeoiseses.” The show concluded with unforgettable “Maniac” and “Alley Rose” performances and a huge confetti drop. Conan’s shows are always extremely special places to be, but this tour takes the cake for creating a truly magical atmosphere and experience.
Overall, “Found Heaven” is a blast to experience live and an exciting new genre for Conan to explore. I am a longtime fan of Conan, and I would highly recommend seeing him live, as each show becomes even more and more special. I look forward to seeing what path Conan’s music takes in the future and what his future tours will entail!
