Cory Wong @ Ancienne Belgique (AB): Fire on stage

Anyone looking for danceable funk or infectious jazz should contact American guitarist, songwriter and producer Cory Wong. As a master funk guitarist, we know him not only from the funk banks Vulfpeck and The Fearless Flyers, but also from his solo career. He has been particularly productive in recent years when it comes to the latter, as he has released no fewer than eight albums under his own name since 2020. The man from Minneapolis has built up a loyal fan base in Belgium with his hyperfunk and the concert he gave last evening in Ancienne Belgique was sold out for quite some time. We were more than happy to put on our dancing shoes for an evening with Mr. Wong, especially when we heard that R&B singer Antwaun Stanley would also be present.

Cory Wong and Antwaun Stanley are currently touring Europe without a regular support act, so a packed AB started chanting and applauding the funkmeister’s name at exactly eight o’clock. The audience was clearly looking forward to it. It would ultimately take another ten minutes before the curtain that hid the stage would rise and reveal Cory and his band. A steamy, super fast version of “Assassin” kicked off and immediately showed that the sound mix was good. The full bass and funky horns in particular were full in the mix, as was Wong’s rattling guitar. The sound of the band immediately rolled over us like a steam train.

The musicians Wong surrounded himself with were not the least. The masterful drummer Petar Janjic stood out not only with his astonishing rhythms and rapid tempo changes, but also with his expressive looks. During every song the joy of playing dripped from his face and that had an infectious effect on the audience. The soulful keys of Kevin Gastonguay, the fury of the five-piece horn section and the funky bass melodies of Vincen García naturally made for a solid musical crush. Cory Wong said at one point that bassist García was called in just 48 hours before the tour to replace regular bassist Sonny T., but that was not at all noticeable in his playing in Brussels. The solos that he conjured up from his bass guitar at every opportunity were absolutely delicious.

Cory Wong and his virtuoso musicians performed the first part of the set without the vocal support of Antwaun Stanley. They did this with a supply of energy that seemed almost inexhaustible. “The Grid Generation” sounded tight as fuck and “Let’s Go!” encouraged the audience to move early on. “Cory Wong” was followed by a cover of Vulfpeck and the audience was very happy with that. The band delivered the super-fast song with such apparent ease that we couldn’t help but be in awe of the musical fire raging on stage. That fire would not be extinguished quickly, because more funk bombs were planned in the set list. Yet “Flamingo” (with beautiful guitar solo by Wong) and “Acceptance” also included quieter songs with a jazzy character.

After the subdued “Acceptance”, Antwaun Stanley also climbed the stage. His vocal contribution in the second half of the show was certainly an added value, not only because it strengthened the musical power of the band, but also because he played the room like an accomplished crowd pleaser. For example, during “Work It Out” he had parts of the audience chant along with various pieces of text. Something like this always helps to improve the atmosphere and the AB was happy to follow Stanley’s instructions. Stanley was of course not only there for the atmosphere, but also made an impression with his velvety soul voice. For example, during “Where Are We Now?” to hear a fine example of singing skills, although his voice was initially lost among the glowing wind instruments. With an impressive vocal finale, Stanley hit back in a strong way a little later.

In the final straight line of the performance, the heat was on. “In The Stone” was followed by a rocking Earth, Wind & Fire cover that the audience received with great enthusiasm. A fiery version of Vulfpeck’s “3 on E” did not provide a breather at all, although Wong and his entourage did leave the scene afterwards for the bis round. It was initially limited to witty versions of “Coming Back Around” and “Lunchtime”. Even though the lights went on and some of the people left the room in dribs and drabs, the vast majority continued to cheer so loudly that Wong and his band came back one more time. The audience went wild on “Dean Town” and even sang the solos along with the musicians. Vulfpeck’s song turned out to be the perfect ending to an impressive concert evening.

Cory Wong, together with Antwaun Stanley and a selection of musicians, completely packed the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels. The tight funk and fun on stage were infectious and had the audience moving in no time. The musical gang will be on stage at 013 in Tilburg on October 9, and those who are quick may still be there. Don’t forget your dancing shoes!

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Set list:

Assassin (cover of The Fearless Flyers)
The Grid Generation
Let’s go!
Cory Wong (cover of Vulfpeck)
Ketosis
Flamingo
Direct Flyte
Acceptance
Work It Out (with Antwaun Stanley)
Look at Me (with Antwaun Stanley)
Where Are We Now? (cover by and together with Antwaun Stanley)
In the Stone (cover of Earth, Wind & Fire and together with Antwaun Stanley)
3 on E (cover of Vulfpeck and together with Antwaun Stanley)

Coming Back Around (with Antwaun Stanley)
Lunch time

Dean Town (cover of Vulfpeck)