Show Review - Cory Wong ft. Mark Lettieri 11/15/24 Toronto, ON

Instrumental Music Rules

Cory Wong’s Eastern Conference tour stopped in Toronto last night for his first headlining show in Canada since 2022. Accompanied by special guest Mark Lettieri of Snarky Puppy and opening band Couch, it was a night to remember as both bands performed hugely energetic sets that put their mid-tour form on full display.

Before the show proper got underway, I had the amazing opportunity to attend an intimate acoustic set featuring Wong, drummer Petar Janjic, keyboardist Kevin Gastonguay, and bassist Yohannes Tona. Setting up on the floor in front of the stage, they spent just over an hour taking questions from the small group of fans and performing stripped-down cuts from the Wong catalog like “Airplane Mode” and “Introducing the Fearless Flyers.”

I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity like this, so I asked Wong if “Winslow” – one of my favourite live cuts that has been missing from the rotation since 2020 (seriously, check out this version) – would ever get played again. One of the amazing things about the guitarist’s personality is that he was immediately like “oh man, why haven’t we played it in so long?” and after a quick run-through, the quartet performed a really cool acoustic rendition.

After closing out the mini-set with a gorgeous “Home,” the band returned backstage and we claimed a spot behind the soundboard to get ready for the main show.

Couch took the stage for an excellent high-energy set, the 40-minute segment flying by as the band members displayed their tight musicianship and arrangements on both original songs and choice covers (have you ever heard an intensely funky version of “Conjunction Junction” from Schoolhouse Rock? Because it’s AWESOME). Their music bears a lot of similarities to Wong’s (especially the funky guitar), which made it a really cool opener and juxtaposition with the mostly instrumental set to come later.

Musicians who express immense joy while performing on stage are always a treat, and the presence commanded by the septet from Boston was amazing - there was a huge percentage of the audience who seemed very familiar with Couch, and HISTORY was packed by the time the opening band took the stage.

The main event of the night began as the eleven-piece Cory Wong band took the stage to the unreleased “Opening Theme.” Jumping from there into powerhouse rocker “The Grid Generation,” Wong showed off his lead guitar skills on a blazing solo before leading the band into “Burning” off his recent Starship Syncopation collaborative album with the Metropole Orkest.

The band was having so much fun already that percussionist Negah Santos accidentally knocked over some of her gear ahead of “Lilypad,” a song where the addition of Lettieri’s second guitar really became noticeable.

Dipping into baritone funk with Lettieri’s own “Magnetar” next, the band’s first live attempt at the song going exceptionally well – Gastonguay absolutely destroyed a distorted synth solo on the midsection. While Lettieri’s solo group doesn’t have horns, his songs are well suited to the addition and I felt as though I was seeing Snarky Puppy for a while.

Lettieri continued to shine on “Bluebird,” harmonizing with Wong on the main melody before Eddie Barbash took a whirlwind alto sax solo. “305” led into another dose of baritone funk via “Tidal Tail” before Wong welcomed vocalist Tema Siegel of Couch to the stage.

Performing “Look At Me” off 2023’s The Lucky One and an excellent cover of “Best Of My Love,” Siegel’s voice blended perfectly with the band as her exuberant stage presence seemed to energize the rest of the band for only lone two songs with words in the main set.

Returning to funk through Lettieri cut “Gigantactis” and Wong classic “Cosmic Sans,” we were treated to the always-reliable set closer of “Meditation,” featuring an extended solo intro from Wong. I’m always reminded that as much as I love so much of the Cory Wong catalog, “Meditation” will forever be my favourite of his songs.

After a quick encore break, the band came on stage for the post-game “press conference,” complete with Wong breaking down the setlist and taking a few questions from audience members about the show. This is one of the things that makes a Cory Wong show unique, as he has honed crowd participation over the years to keep everything fresh on a nightly basis for the band - both in a rotating setlist and getting new ideas an inspiration from audience questions.

The band closed out the show with a two-song encore of “Dean Town” and “Assassin,” the latter of which displayed the incredibly complex horn charts on the LED screen for its duration.

Cory Wong tour continues tonight in Royal Oak, MI before heading through the Midwest and concluding next weekend with two nights in his hometown of Minneapolis. Whether you’re familiar with the music or not, any attendee is guaranteed to be blown away by the magnetic stage presence, well-thought-out gags (like Tony Hawk Pro Skater on the big LED screen behind the band), and incredible energy throughout. Don’t miss this show in your area!

Nugs subscribers can watch live next Friday and Saturday from The Salt Shed and Palace Theatre.