story / Bri Ng Schwartz
photos / Lauren Nakao Winn
No one does a heartbreak power-ballad quite like Conan Gray, who brought his Wishbone World Tour to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey this past weekend. A sea of dixie cup hats, red hair bows and pinstriped pajamas overcame the arena ready to bask in Conan’s nautical, dreamlike summerscape. With support from indie-folk artist Esha Tewari, the tour is a continuation of the Wishbone era, which was born from the album released in July of 2025. The world of Wishbone first debuted at New York City’s Governor’s Ball, followed by the North American Wishbone Pajama Tour, a memorable Thanksgiving Day Parade performance and a string of Jingle Ball dates in December.
As the show begins, the audience is transported to the countryside. Conan bikes onto the stage, a grassy field on sprawling farmland. He is wearing his signature naval rig, designed by Michelle Hebert in collaboration with stylist Katie Qian. Accompanying Conan throughout the evening is his seven-piece band, decked out in matching sailor-inspired styles and in consistent synchronicity. The band features a stand out strings section, made up of a violinist, cellist and acoustic guitar player who added a special sprinkling of magic to the sonic element of the show.
Those lucky enough to score floor seats for the Friday night affair were immersed in Conan’s world by way of wishbone-shaped double runways, which also gave those of us in the lower bowl a closer look at our favorite sailor. The set was broken into five different acts, walking us through the stages of breakup-related grief from ACT I: a wishbone never breaks even to ACT IV: i wished for love, and i found it and a booming encore. Each act featured rotating looks and set dressings, including a big bed under the stars with a glittering pin-striped pajama set, a sexy Prince Eric-like silhouette inside of a small sailboat and “Conan’s Campfire” with crackling flames.
On each stop on the tour, one lucky fan is picked to participate in a ceremonial breaking of Conan’s wishbone with the star himself. If the fan is left holding the long end of the wishbone, they get to pick between two surprise songs flashed on the projector screen. The fan chosen at this performance was dressed as Conan’s self-proclaimed ex, The Grinch. Having the choice between fan favorite songs “Astronomy” and “Lookalike”, The Grinch went with the latter, giving New Jersey the unique treat of hearing the euphoric balled off of the album sunset season. Other highlights from the set included the debut of unreleased song “The Best” as well as the fun fact that the last time Conan performed at the Prudential Center, he was on a Doritos themed stage.
The volume of fans singing along to viral hits like “Heather” and “Vodka Cranberry” almost overtook the singer’s own voice. The energy at the end of the show with closer “Caramel” sent fans buzzing into the crisp New Jersey air. As it approached 11:11 after the show, I got into bed wishing I was back inside of my hometown arena singing along with my favorite sad boy. Whether it be his bedroom-pop bops, electric 80s style synths or current moment of booming anthems, Conan Gray has stapled himself as a defining singer-songwriter of his generation. The remaining dates on the Wishbone World Tour are sure to have fans in tears and without voices.
