O.A.R. and Cory Wong at the Armory (07/08/2023)

At first I didn’t know what I was covering. Was it a double-bill featuring O.A.R. and Cory Wong or was it a hockey game featuring members of both bands? Well, it was both, and luckily I covered the show for both bands are much better on the stage than they are on ice.

About seven months ago Wong collaborated on the single “Hiding on the Moon” with O.A.R. And during a little downtime O.A.R. lead singer, Marc Roberge, asked why Wong did a hilarious YouTube video where Wong and members of his band, the Wongnotes, played a mini concert in full hockey gear on an ice-skating rink.

What was an answer soon turned to a boast about Minnesota Wild hockey, which turned into a challenge involving a game between the bands that evolved into a Celebrity/Wild alumni hockey game/charity event with proceeds going to the Minnesota Wild Foundation.

Cory Wong was up first and he and his band did not waste any time bringing the energetic funk.

Wong is from Minnesota. He was introduced to classic rock and jazz by his father and started taking piano lessons at nine, but soon migrated to the Fender Stratocaster in high school. Attending the University of Minnesota and McNally Smith College of Music, he has since made quite a name for himself, playing with the local, legendary band Dr. Mambo’s Combo, sitting in with Chris Thile and John Batiste and now collaborating with O.A.R.

Wong took the stage with his specially designed seafoam green Stratocaster, which matched his beachcombing outfit. He moved about the expansive stage as Downbeat Magazine once described:

“In concert he stalks the stage on spidery legs with unbounded energy, mouth agape, like an exuberant cheerleader at a funky pep rally.”

Although the headliner, Wong gave plenty of limelight to his band, moving towards their direction when Peter Janjic on drums, Nêgah Santos on congos, and Kevin Gastonguay moved into a solo. Then there was the horn section. Wong doesn’t sing, so his horns were his chorus, joyful, exuberant and unbound with energy.

A highlight of the show was “Meditation” in which Wong showed off his guitar skills, first starting with a quiet solo that echoed shades of Mark Knopfler before moving to an uplifting anthem. Another highlight was “Lunchtime” which can best be described as being strapped to a musical rocket and trying to hold on for dear life.

Wong also invited a musical guest, Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees, to sing a few of his songs “Everybody Talks” and “Animal” to the delight and surprise of the crowd.

O.A.R. aka Of A Revolution was up next and by the reaction of the crowd they are well-loved in Minnesota.

Founded in 1996 in the aptly named Rockville Maryland, they are Marc Roberge on lead vocals and guitar, Richard On on lead guitar, Benj Gershman on bass, Chris Culos on drums, and Jerry DePizzo on sax and guitar. They were joined on stage by Mikel Paris on keyboards and Jon Lampley on trumpet, who is also part of the Wongnotes, so I’m not sure which hockey team he played for.

Although O.A.R. was in town to play a sport that involves fist-to-cuffs, the themes of their music were inclusiveness, acceptance, support and love with songs like “California” “Heaven” and “Peace”. They are definitely a band to see live, granting extended solos to On on guitar, DePizzo on sax and Lampley who seemed to give it his all on his trumpet solos.

A highlight was “That Was a Crazy Game of Poker” which had members of the crowd throwing full decks of playing cards into the air for others to pick up to see who could hold the best hand.

For an encore the stage was flooded with not only both bands but also members of the earlier charity game. They played Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” (made famous by the Black Crowes) and it was quite a finish to a “wildly” successful enterprise that started out as a question.

By the way Team Wong won the game as Roberge conceded: “You all can play hockey and sing in key.”