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Music motivates at the most primal level.
You instinctually hum a tune in order to get pumped up in the morning, for fuel on the treadmill, to soundtrack your commute, or as the pre-game to a big night out. As much as he treasures his roles as a guitarist, composer, and producer, Cory Wong fashions himself "a hype man," first and foremost. Living up to this classification, he slings a Stratocaster and hurls "dad jokes" from the stage with the same panache, poise, and power.
"For me, it's all about the listener's experience," he explains. "I want them to have a visceral response like: 'I feel better,' 'That was really fun,' or 'I got to escape for an hour.' You'll hear my voice through the guitar, but I'm just a hype man. To uplift audiences with instrumental music that has no singing or lyrics is a fun challenge. I'm trying to solve the riddle. If I can get one person to feel good this way, it's a success.
Straight out of Minneapolis, Cory positioned himself as music's answer to motivational speakers like Tony Robbins since emerging in 2011. Head-spinning rhythm guitar wizardry, technical ebullience, laugh-out-loud jokes, and radiance on stage established him as both a sought-after collaborator and celebrated solo artist alike. He lent his talents to television programs such as The Voice at the dawn of his career. After an impromptu meeting at the weekly jam hosted by Prince's rhythm section (where the Purple One often either performed or watched), he crossed paths with Vulfpeck who welcomed him as a frequent collaborator and member of the band. Solidifying a fruitful partnership, the group named their most popular instrumental track "Cory Wong," in tribute. Lighting up the stage in the band everywhere from Red Rocks Amphitheatre to Madison Square Garden, he remains a cornerstone of Vulfpeck's storied gigs.
"I try to feature the guitar, but I don't force myself into being the star of every song," he says. "The instrument plays an appropriate role. It's not all flash. I'm bringing rhythm to the forefront where it's not so shreddy. I refer to it as 'Covert chops.' I'm doing things that are sneakily hard, but they lay in the cut. I allow the song to breathe and present myself as more of a composer rather than a guitar player."
In the end, Cory transmits joy in its purest form through the guitar.
"The guiding light is to impart a feeling of joy," he leaves off. "I want people to experience instrumental music in a different way. This is hype. It's more than just guitar."
Encore
Encore
Highest level of musicianship + infectious energy + incredibly tight band + masters playing freely at their craft + press conference + the EWI you didn’t know you were missing out on = wong time.
The music was awesome! But the Mezzanine level acoustics at the Paramount did not serve the tight precision provided by the band very well. Volume was higher than needed and was a bit washed out particularly with the bass and voice. Seemed like the sound for the final 2 encore sounds was improved? YouTube beat out live for this concert. Maybe ground floor sound was better?
The show was a last. Overtone on stage played together so well. The light-hearted nature and humor was delightful! I would definitely see them again!
Band great. Energy, focus, tight, dynamic. Sound (in upper mezzanine) quite bad. (Ushers restricted sampling other sections). Main problem was hyper dominant subwoofers, primarily kick drum, overrode all low end (virtually no bass guitar definition), muddied the mids (vocals, horns, keys), and unbalanced with highs (eg upper horns & keys, guitar). VERY disappointed in sound quality for such a nice venue. I liked novel highlight of “press conference” show debrief preceding the 2 song encore. (Also one of the segments you could actually hear well.) On- stage videographer frequent distraction.
An excellent live show, Cory is one of the greatest guitarists of our time. Also anybody who tours with a 5 piece horn section and a real Hammond Organ is impressive. These guys are TIGHT. Not to mention they put on a super fun and highly interactive concert. Would definitely reccomend.
Saw Cory Wong last year and it was amazing. Honestly slightly disappointed this time around. The kick drum was turned up to Godzilla stomp levels and it was honestly almost all I could hear. Meditation was great because there were no drums on the first part. Love Cory, love the band, great energy, can’t recommend the venue or at least the sound mix on this show.
We had four GA tickets for Cory Wong in Seattle at the Paramount Theater. Overall the show and performance was wonderful. Great energy performing. The sound quality was off however. The bass was too low and the sound system seemed ‘blown-out’ too loud first half of the show. Seemed to improve some about half way through. We were expecting better sound from him..
One of the best shows I have ever seen in both Music quality and presentation. Been going to the Paramount Theater since the 70's and never seen a show with so much excitement musically than "Cory Wong". His band rocks! In the world of Funk. The highest caliber of musicians on stage ever. From the high speed funk drummer to the slap bass (reminds me of Larry Graham) to the unbelievable horns and keyboard. And everyone solos. And Cory Wong appeals to a full range of audience age. Saw both young and old at this show and the flat floor configuration (no seats) was packed. I'm 71 years old and my wife was standing way up front by the stage. I can't wait to see this band again.
Outstanding and most entertaining show! Cory never fails to deliver an impressive, high quality performance. His band are top notch musicians and entertainers themselves, we had a great time and would highly recommend anyone interested to just go and see Cory and the band! Cheers
The band might have been good, but it was impossible to tell because the audio mix was atrocious!! The low frequencies from the kick drum and extra snare were so loud that they covered the entire band. Only way to hear the horns was to cup my ears towards the speakers and try to block the lows. Sub woofers are a tool that is often abused and in this case they were abused to the max. This is such a good band and to have this kind of disaster occur is very unfortunate and extremely disappointing. It’s a boomy room but it can work. Just turn down the lows!! The engineer should be fired!!
Cory Wong and his band are absolutely incredible. It's always a highlight of my year to attend these shows and invite friends and family to experience what they are bringing to the live music scene. I would give their performance 10 stars if the rating scale allowed. All this said, I wanted to take a moment to mention that when I purchased tickets during the artist pre-sale, the main floors description was "main floor center seating"(I know this because I took screenshots to walk family and friends through buying tickets). When I gathered all of my friends and family buy their tickets during the presale, we purchased main floor with the expectation that there would be seating. We only found out a day before the show that instead of "center seating", the main floor was going to be flat floor standing room only. At that point we really didn't have any options fix this without purchasing new tickets and splitting up our group. We lined up before the show to get in when doors opened at 7:00 PM (hoping to land a decent spot) and stood in the same place until a little after 11:00 PM when the show ended. Even with how incredible the music was, I have no desire to ever do that again. I know some fans love standing in the crowd only getting peeks of the band from time to time but that's not for me. For future shows I will be purchasing tickets in the balcony to be safe. I wrote all of this not as a complaint, but to send what I hope will be useful feedback from a fan of the band. I don't know if there was a miscommunication between Ticketmaster, the venue or tour management but please do everything you can to make sure these details are clear and accurate for future shows. I cannot wait to see you next time you're in Seattle.
EPIC show! Cory and the band bring the energy and this show is a party and non stop fun!
Second time seeing Cory Wong. He and his band are incredible, exciting, innovative; just a joy to experience. However, the acoustics in the mezzanine level of The Paramount were horrid. It was all just very loud mud. The band would get halfway through a song before I could recognize it. Even the terrific opening band, LA LOM, were mixed terribly. They were just three pieces, but the guitar was up so loud you couldn't hear the drums. Another featured guest, Monica Martin, was fine but not on the level of the other musicians, and her songs dragged down the pace of the concert. Cory Wong -- would absolutely see again. If he returns to the Paramount -- never again paying big bucks to NOT hear him.
Everything by Cory I've watched or listened to, from Vulfpeck to The Fearless Flyers to the Wong Notes, has been so clean and articulate. A hallmark of their collective music. The performance and set list was wonderful. The showmanship was exceptional. The "news conference"before the encore was brilliant. Sadly, the sound was terrible at the Paramount. Over use of the subwoofers really mushed it all up. The subs are not a chronic problem in this venue, so I suspect to the tour sound person had a hand in the mix.
Great, high-energy concert. I would offer that there could have been less amplification of the bass drum, and more of the bass guitarist for Corey Wong; I couldn't hear the bass guitar because of that interference, and he was one of the main draws for me. Otherwise, super entertaining!
Tightest band on the planet right now. High energy and incredible musicianship. Awesome show
Great show! Very professional! Everyone in the band is a master over their instrument! I recommend the show highly!
Great music, great musicians, lots of energy. Sound tech needs to improve. Bass guitar was just a low frequency, couldn't distinguish notes. Kick drum overpowered everything else, even Cory's guitar. It's a disservice to the hard work the musicians put in and the audience when the person running sound doesn't do a good job.
The energy was beyond believable and what a performance Cory and his crew puts on. The excitement was high the entire time and everything sounds pristine. Absolutely going against and you should too even if you have never heard of Cory before.
Great musicians all, but sound management for bass drum was WAAAAY overboosted, to the loss of details from Cory’s guitar playing, or the (muddy-sounding) bass guitar. Second floor at the Knitting Factory is expensive, and you’d expect a better listening experience. Too much bass for most of the songs. Probably didn’t need so much volume! Listening to Cory Wong - videos and music on line - is so much better NOT in person! The sound guy looked pretty busy, but the results were not great.
