Hot off the heels of opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers earlier in July, Wand returned to Philadelphia on July 19 for their first show since stopping at Johnny Brenda’s in September of 2022. With them, they brought songs from their excellent new album, “Vertigo”.
Mike Polizze took the stage first and delivered a visceral set of acid-fuzz guitar scorchers, including his take on Spacemen 3’s “Walkin With Jesus”, which he just recently performed with Kurt Vile at PhilaMOCA back in June for Day 2 of Sometimes Festival. Mike also pulled out some solo renditions of songs from his 2023 album, “Drag On Girard” like “Yer All in My Dreams”, a fuzzy garage banger for the ages. Mike’s hazy, garagey guitar textures perfectly set the tone for the night for the heavy grooves Wand would soon lay down.
Wand was then welcomed to the stage with thunderous applause from the audience for their headlining set. Frontman Cory Hanson and his band ripped through the spacey and psychedelic renditions of tracks from their newest album like the lead single, “Smile” and other album cuts like “JJ”, “Hangman”, and “High Tide”; as well as older songs from their back catalogue like “Plum” and “Bee Karma”. The band really showcased why they were picked to open some select dates for the RHCP tour: Cory’s raw, passionate songs, coupled with guitarist Robert Cody’s infectious and psychedelic guitar riffs, Evan Backer’s grooving bass guitar tones, and drummer Evan Burrows’ explosive drumming really brings together the 4 of them into psychedelic powerhouse unit that can’t be beaten.
Their new album, Vertigo, is out July 26 on Drag City Records. At the conclusion of their American tour in September, the band heads to Europe for a tour for the second half of fall. Do not miss out on a chance to catch the power of Wand Live. Cory Hanson is also known to have a notoriously dank autograph, incorporating one-of-a-kind doodles onto whatever records he signs. Because of this, massive flocks of fans came to the merch table to purchase the new record and get a chance to talk to him and tell him how much his music meant to them and have him doodle his signature drawing on the cover.
Wand
Mike Polizze
