Cory Wong Gives New Fearless Flyers Gem 1st Live Flight In Osaka

Cory Wong kicked off a four-show swing through Japan in Osaka on Tuesday. The concert at Namba Hatch saw the guitarist offering the live debut of “Flyers Crusade” from the new The Fearless Flyers album.

Cory Wong and his band — featuring the core rhythm seciton of of Sonny T. (bass), Kevin Gastonguay (keys) and Petar Janjic (drums), along with a horn section including Eddie Barbash (sax), Kenni Holmen (sax), Jay Webb (trumpet) and Michael Nelson (trombone) — kicked off the Osaka show with the aptly titled “Opener.” Next came “Let’s Go!” off Wong’s Cafe (2022) ahead of the “Flyers Crusade” debut.

“This next tune we’re gonna play, has never been played live before,” Wong said at the outset of “Flyers Crusade.” The song appears on the new album, The Fearless Flyers V, which arrived on May 16. “Flyers Crusade” is a snappy funk number in the Fearless Flyers quartet format. But the tune sounded fantastic with a horn arrangement in Osaka.

Watch “Let’s Go!” and the live premiere of “Flyers Crusade” below:

Cory Wong’s Vulfpeck bandmate Antwaun Stanley was also on hand and came out to add his vocal stylings to a four-song sequence beginning with “Work It Out” and “Untied.” Stanley also fronted the band on a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love.” The section came to a close with “Coming Back Around” off the Cory & The Wongnotes album.

Cory Wong wrapped the main set with “Meditation.” The two-song encore got underway with a pairing of the theme from the video game Halo and “The Grid Generation.” Wong sealed the show with another selection from the Fearless Flyers songbook, the favorite “Assassin.”

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Cory Wong’s Japan tour rolls on until Saturday. Scroll down for the guitarist’s itinerary with ticket info.