Conan Gray @ The Louisville Palace - Louisville
September 16th 2022: Conan Gray with Kacy Hill at The Louisville Palace - Louisville, KY
Conan Gray - Photos and Coverage Courtesy of: Emily May
There is something so endearing about seeing hundreds of teenagers and young adults (with a few older adults mixed in) who are so excited about a show that they are radiating pure joy and happiness. This was the case on September 16th when pop singer and songwriter Conan Gray brought his current Superache tour to Louisville, with this being the first night of the tour! And what a welcome Louisville gave him, with tickets selling out the day they went on sale! The line to get into the venue this evening stretched for what seemed like miles in both directions, and while The Louisville Palace is a seated venue, the fans were eager to get in as soon as possible to get in line to buy merch! With glittery makeup, feathered boas, and plenty of rose-adorned items of clothing and/or hair accessories, everyone was ready to have some fun! Starting out the evening was LA-based singer, songwriter, and producer Kacy Hill. With songs that mesh the sounds of indie pop, dream pop, and electronica, she quickly had the crowd cheering and singing along! Having released her first single in 2014, she later released 3 albums, the most recent being 2021’s Simple, Sweet, and Smiling. She was all smiles this evening, singing a nice selection of songs and thanking everyone for being there this evening and to Conan Gray for bringing her out on tour. At one point she told the audience “You all are so sweet! I’m getting emotional!”. With a sweet and charming personality, she performed her songs with such sincerity that the crowd couldn’t help but connect with her. It was a beautiful opening to the evening!
Next up was Conan Gray. With the stage set up with a platform at the back and a set of stairs going down the middle to the stage, he started out his set coming out onto the platform and singing his heart out for his fans who were screaming with excitement. Starting his set with “Disaster” from his latest album Superache, which was released in June of this year, he sang many songs off of the new album, including “People Watching”, “Jigsaw”, and “Astronomy”. He also performed 3 live debuts- “The Exit”, “Best Friend”, and “Movies”. It’s really special when you can see the fans deeply connecting to the music, and every time I looked out into the crowd, every person was singing along to every single word and you could see on their faces how much each song meant to them. Friends were hugging each other as they sang, and many looked to be on the verge of tears. Conan seemed just as elated to be on stage and singing for everyone, telling the crowd “It’s so good to be here! I’ve missed you guys! Thank you for coming out to the first night of my Superache Tour!”. He then, with a bit of humor, told the crowd how he had written the album during the most boring time of his life. He did periodic “wellness checks” on the crowd, asking “Are ya’ll taking care of yourselves? Are you staying hydrated?” and on a couple of occasions grabbed a fan’s cellphone and took selfies and videos of him singing before handing it back.
He was in high spirits this evening, joking with the crowd as he walked up the stairs to not look at his butt. He chatted between most songs this evening, giving the stories behind many of his songs. A really lovely moment was before he sang “Family Line” and got vulnerable with his fans. “This next song is one of my favorites, but one I was terrified to put out. I spent 2 years writing it and its subject matter is something I’m still going through and figuring out. I had a rough childhood and think that when you are a kid, it feels like your life will always be the same and that you will always be stuck in that situation. I was told I would never be anything and I believed it and have spent a lot of my life running from my past and from everything that scared me. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that my past doesn’t define me. I wrote this song to tell you that you are not defined by your past, by the mistakes you’ve made, or who your parents tell you that you are.” Ending his set with “Heather” and “Maniac”, he then gave the crowd a one-song encore, singing “Memories”. It was a really beautiful and memorable night of music that his fans won’t soon forget!
Conan Gray
Kacy Hill
