Minnesota guitar hero Cory Wong holds a press conference onstage before he and his band play their nightly encore. The presser is part parody of post-game sporting events and part genuine critical review of the performance.
Review: How an in-show press conference elevated local guitar hero Cory Wong’s St. Paul show
There were plenty of guitar and horn fireworks in an evening of entertaining jazzy funk.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 24, 2024 at 11:39PM
On Saturday, in Wong’s first of two hometown nights at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, he talked about how his opening number, “The Grid Generation,” was a different kickoff than usual. In the presser, guest singers Soraya Sebghati of Night Talks and Tema Siegel of opening act Couch gave apologetic assessments of their challenges. Then Wong entertained questions from the audience — in person and online.
The Q&A turned out to elevate the concert to the next level because of requests from interrogators.
On Halloween, Wong and his 10-person band had performed a Willy Wonka-themed set in costumes in Nashville. So, on Saturday, by request, Wong strapped on an acoustic guitar for a delicate acoustic treatment of the Wonka gem “Pure Imagination” accompanied by a gorgeous minor-key arrangement of the five-piece brass section. The piece changed the texture and vibe of the show. It was a perfect, unplanned choice.
Another request begged for a trombone solo by Michael Nelson, who did all the horn arrangements. He took a smoking turn on the feel-good finale “Separado.”
The encore capped a highly entertaining, musically rewarding and visually alluring 105 minutes of mostly instrumental jazzy funk by a jumpsuit-wearing, unstoppable rhythm machine.
The band featured guest guitarist Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy, who was featured on the sludgy, slow funk “Patrouille de France” by the Fearless Flyers (a side project for him and Wong). Sebghati shook her fringe on “Synchronicity” and “Starting Line,” and Siegel held her own on the pop-soul “Call Me Wild” and “Best of My Love.”
Other highlights included the graceful “Bluebird,” the James Brown-inspired “Flyers Direct,” an acoustic reading of Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years” and, of course, the press conference and what it led to. Oh, in the presser, Wong promised to play his tune “St. Paul” in Sunday’s return to the Palace with a different set list.
Review: How an in-show press conference elevated local guitar hero Cory Wong’s St. Paul show
There were plenty of guitar and horn fireworks in an evening of entertaining jazzy funk.
