Conan Gray tells Ottawa crowd 'I love you' after energetic Bluesfest performance

Conan Gray, a 27-year-old pop icon with a devoted Gen-Z following, took the RBC Main Stage on July 15 and delivered an emotionally charged performance that moved thousands of fans.

Thousands of attendees sang, bounced, and clapped along to Gray and his band. Young women in sailor hats—available at the merchandise booth—shrieked with excitement, while parents held children on their shoulders, the smallest ones wearing noise-dampening headphones.

Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Ottawa Senators player Erik Karlsson with his family were among those enjoying the music.

Gray, a California native who grew up in Texas and started as a YouTuber before launching his recording career, demonstrated command of stagecraft on the big stage. In a see-through top and high-waisted black trousers, he moved with dramatic physicality, his soaring tenor ranging from soft and delicate to impassioned and intense. Every song drew the same fervent response.

"Ottawa, what a beautiful crowd y'all are," Gray said, noting it was his debut in Canada's capital. "My name is Conan, and I'm so happy to be here. I feel like a lot of my people are here tonight!"

Gray engaged the crowd between songs, asking about relationships and whether anyone's ex was in the audience, before delivering hits like Wish You Were Sober, People Watching, and The Cut That Always Bleeds. From My World to Cranberry Vodka, the show delivered summer hits his devoted fans spared no glitter in celebrating, knowing every word.