There are concerts that feel like performances, and then there are concerts that feel like worlds you are briefly invited into. Conan Gray at the The O2 Arena felt exactly like that. Theatrical, immersive, and completely driven by the atmosphere of the crowd as much as the music itself. From the moment he rode onto the stage on a bike to the final explosion of confetti at the end of the night, the concert felt carefully constructed, almost like stepping into the narrative of one of his albums.
The opening immediately established this sense of storytelling. Conan entered on a bicycle and interacted with the set itself, posting a London postcard into an O2 Arena labelled post box before opening with ‘My World.’ Rather than simply walking onstage and beginning the set, he created a scene for the audience to enter into. The set design was genuinely incredible; every detail felt intentional and theatrical without becoming overproduced. It transformed the arena into something intimate and cinematic at the same time, which is difficult to achieve in a venue as large as the O2.
However, what made the concert feel truly memorable was the crowd atmosphere. Looking around the arena, there was a literal sea of sailor hats, with fans fully dressed up to match the aesthetic of the tour. Everybody understood the assignment. The audience did not feel detached from the performance, they became part of it. This collective participation made the concert feel less like a typical arena show and more like a shared experience where every person contributed to the mood of the night. The costumes, the coordinated fan projects with blue and red lights, and the constant energy from the audience created a sense of unity that reflected the emotional openness of Conan Gray’s music itself.
That atmosphere was heightened further by the emotional connection between Conan and the audience. One particularly meaningful moment came when he performed a song he wrote in London, making the location of the concert feel personally significant rather than just another stop on a tour. The audience reaction throughout these moments showed how deeply connected fans are not only to his music but to the stories behind it.
The concert also highlighted how important collaboration and visual identity were to the performance. His all-female band was incredible, both musically and visually, especially as they were also dressed as sailors, tying them seamlessly into the world of the set and the audience. Their presence strengthened the theatrical feel of the concert and made the performance feel cohesive rather than centred around only one individual.
Some of the most memorable moments came from the humour and spontaneity of the show. Just before singing the fan chosen song of the night, Conan searched the crowd for the best dressed to break the “wishbone” prop with. This fan however happened to be Peppa Pig. Referencing Conan’s answer from a radio show where he said his dream special guest would be Peppa Pig. It was absurd and funny, but moments like this are what made the concert feel human and unpredictable despite the scale of the production. The crowd’s reaction demonstrated how invested fans were not only in the music, but in the personality and ongoing jokes surrounding Conan Gray himself.
Equally, quieter moments in the concert felt deeply intimate. The surprise performance of ‘Alley Rose’ by the campfire at the end of the Wishbone stage catwalk tied beautifully into the imagery and themes of the album. Even within a huge arena, the staging made it feel personal, as though the audience had been invited into a private moment. This balance between spectacle and intimacy was one of the strongest aspects of the concert overall.
Perhaps the clearest example of the atmosphere created by the audience came during ‘Vodka Cranberry’. Towards the end of the song, a group of fans in the pit were holding hands and spinning in a circle together. It perfectly captured the feeling of the entire night: youthful, emotional, chaotic, and joyful all at once. Rather than simply watching the performance, the crowd actively embodied the emotions of the music.
By the time the show ended with confetti falling across the arena, the concert felt less like a sequence of songs and more like a carefully crafted experience built equally by Conan Gray and his fans. The theatrical set design, interactive staging, humour, costumes, and emotional audience connection all contributed to an atmosphere that felt almost literary in the way it explored identity, nostalgia, and belonging. Ultimately, the concert proved that live music is not only about the artist performing onstage, but about the collective world created between performer and audience for a single night.
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Words & Photography: Chloe Redman