As we stood in the dark concert venue of Kemba Live, we waited for a giant curtain to drop in anticipation of the musical talent that would soon swoop us for the next hour and a half. Music started, and the curtains dropped as Cory Wong took the lead on the stage and immediately kicked the show off with a flash.

My feet were swollen as I was dancing to the feeling of the horns, bass, and drums going through my body as Cory Wong laid down some incredible guitar work.

They started fast, and the ensemble played with incredible pace and timing throughout the night. I am still mesmerized by the frequency and pace of Wong strumming the guitar throughout the night.

But the talent isn’t just with Wong himself, rather the entire ensemble put on an incredible performance. I loved watching Peter Janjic go on a tear with his drums and the impeccable timing everyone had on each part.

The set had some pieces I wasn’t expecting, however, this being my first show seeing Cory Wong, maybe it is a little more traditional. For instance, I enjoyed the acoustic set, and the fact that they performed a whole acoustic portion of the set was a delightful change in pace.

Wong himself shares the spotlight. There was a moment for everyone to shine on the stage, and even brought out Couch lead singer Tema Siegal for a portion of their performance, as she provided the only vocals throughout the night.

Towards the end of the set, there was a solo portion of just Wong standing in the spotlight and delivering. At times he was methodical melodies of his loops played alongside himself had me feeling like everything in the world will be alright. It ended with a climatic coming together of the entire ensemble.

Right before the encore, Wong held a press conference for all the fans. “I take full responsibility for all of the mistakes and setlists,” Wong said. He went through the setlist decisions on a larger scale and then allowed fans to ask questions.

Some of the questions were fun, but many were musicianship questions of actual insight. It was an incredible learning experience to hear from some amazing artist on their approach to their decisions.

Towards the end of the press conference, Wong was asked about his favorite moment. He spoke less about any particular moment and more about his state regarding music. “ I get to be an ambassador for the guitar, I get to be an ambassador for instrumental music and I get to be an ambassador for musical excellence.”