Concert season has entered full swing in Sydney, with October being jam-packed with some of the biggest artists from all around the world descending on the Harbour City as summer begins to hit. Kicking this procession off is Conan Gray, who has toured Australia a number of times in the last few years, slowly playing bigger and bigger venues to the point where he has sold out Afterpay Arena in front of an adoring audience. The crowd, all dressed in grey and sporting his trademark sailor hats, descended upon the arena with a palpable energy of anticipation. 

The crowd were first treated to an opening set by Esha Tewari, who has been touring with Gray all around the world. The Sydney-based performer did an admirable job in her homecoming show, with most of the crowd coming early to support the emerging singer-songwriter, who showed off a very beautiful voice as well as pleasant and vulnerable songwriting. It was a great start to the night and really energised the crowd in anticipation of Gray’s set.

When Gray took to the stage, it became very clear that his show was going to be theatrical in the highest meaning of the word, with carefully choreographed moves and a commanding presence as he opened with the falsetto-tinged “My World”. From these very opening notes, the comparisons with 2000s pop star MIKA were so clearly evident, with the writing and feeling almost like a stylistic cousin. The music felt both like a throwback but also strikingly modern which was a great balance that appealed to all in the crowd. 

“Thank you for having me back Sydney,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”

Gray immediately connected well with the audience with the bubbly “Care”, before the more introspective “Wish You Were Sober”. He focused on newer material, playing the majority of his Wishbone album while also interspersing enough of his older work to delight both new and old fans alike, which provided a nice contrast. 

“It feels like a true privilege that y’all have brought me here for so many years now.”

With the crowd in tow, he moved into the second act of his set with the lively “Class Clown”, before the rich and powerful songwriting of “The Cut That Always Bleeds”, “Eleven Eleven” and “Nauseous”. The show was carefully planned and curated, with a short acoustic set in the middle, as seems to be the trend now post the Eras Tour for literally every artist who comes on a world tour, but it didn’t feel out of place here as Gray performed the beautiful track “Movies”, which showed a depth to his vocals as well as a different side to his artistry. While the show was meticulously planned, this did mean that interactions were few and far between and felt a little forced when they did occur. For example, at one time, Gray went into the audience to request a song from a fan and the fan gave him a note, which he didn’t even open the note, instead choosing to pass it straight onto this team, which was a little bit of a shame. However, ultimately just meant there was a focus on the music, and the music was so strong that it didn’t really matter that there was not a heap of interaction. 

After the fan request of “Sunset Tower”, he then performed his smash hit “Heather”, which had the whole crowd up and dancing and enjoying the wonderfully joyful atmosphere in the room. Gray was well supported by his band and backing vocalists, who definitely propped him up when required but also worked quite symbiotically with him throughout the set. As he moved through different styles, often with a great deal of dancing and movement, he commanded the stage to create a really cohesive performance. 

“I’ll never forget the first time to Sydney it was the first time in my life I thought holy shit I’m famous because y’all were so crazy and showed me so much love.”

For the final act of his show, he performed the wonderfully written “Actor” before moving into “Vodka Cranberry”, which was a lovely and introspective way of finishing the main set. For his encore, he brought it back to a more upbeat tempo with “Memories” and “Caramel”, and it was a great way to finish what was a wonderful night of music.

Overall, this was a truly fantastic show, where Gray showed off the breadth of his artistry, both from a musical standpoint and also from a writing standpoint. It is a rare privilege for a reviewer to have the opportunity to discover someone with so much conviction in their sound and artistry and to see that translate from the records to the live stage with seamless precision. This was a near-perfect show and one can only hope that it’s not long before Gray once again returns to Australia.

Rating: ★★★★★

Conan Gray – Afterpay Arena – 1 October 2026

Photo credit: Dillon Matthew Campbell