Concert Review: Chris Isaak at the Pantages Theatre

Chris Isaak, forever cool.

Chris Isaak's most recent album, 2015's "First Comes the Night."

On Tuesday night Chris Isaak brought his usual flair to the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis. I’ve seen Isaak in concert several times before, and he always brings his A game. (I’ve previously reviewed Isaak concerts in 2009 and 2012.) He’s a really fun performer, you can tell he really enjoys performing live, and he’s very funny and witty. Isaak promised the audience “semi-professional entertainment,” and he and his band more than delivered on that facetious promise. 

Isaak’s band is excellent. Kenney Dale Johnson on drums and Rowland “Roly” Salley on bass have been with Isaak since he first started recording in the mid-1980’s. The relative newcomers are Scotty Plunkett on piano, organ and accordion, lead guitarist Hershel Yatovitz, and Rafael Padilla on percussion. Scotty is the butt of several of Isaak’s jokes, and he tore up “Great Balls of Fire” when given the chance. Hershel Yatovitz effortlessly reproduces the gorgeous mid-century lead guitar sounds that Isaak is known for. Isaak has a fantastic rapport with his band, and they’re just fun to watch.

Isaak looked sharp in his blue suit accented with rhinestones, and he changed into his mirrored suit for the encore. Isaak turned 60 last month, but he still looks and sounds exactly like he did 25 years ago, when he burst onto the scene with his hit “Wicked Game.” Oh, and yes, Isaak can still hit all of the high notes on “Wicked Game.” On his opening song, “Dancin’” he held a note at the end of the song for about 15 or 20 seconds. It was so cool. 

The setlist was a great mix of some of Isaak’s best songs. I was really thrilled that he sang “Two Hearts,” which is one of my favorites of his. He hit all of the high notes on that one as well. Isaak sang a fantastic version of “Forever Blue,” which he performed mostly solo, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. It’s such a beautiful, haunting song, and to hear it with just his voice and guitar made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Isaak sang just three songs from his most recent release, 2015’s “First Comes the Night,” which is an excellent album. 

Isaak walked through the crowd as he sang “Don’t Leave Me On My Own,” and he even made his way up to the balcony. If you like retro rock and roll and you want to see a great live performer having fun, see Chris Isaak the next time he comes to town. 

Setlist:

Dancin'
Somebody's Crying
Two Hearts
Don't Leave Me On My Own
Oh, Pretty Woman
Down in Flames
San Francisco Days
Wicked Game
Go Walking Down There
Go Scotty Go (Scotty Plunkett solo)
Running Down the Road
Forever Blue
Pretty Girls Don't Cry
Only the Lonely
Insects
Let Me Down Easy
Take My Heart
Can't Help Falling In Love
Great Balls of Fire
Don't Make Me Dream About You
Blue Hotel
Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing/Bye Bye Baby

Encore:

Big Wide Wonderful World
The Lonesome Fugitive (Introduction only)
The Way Things Really Are

Concert Review: Chris Isaak at the State Theatre

Chris Isaak, 2012. Photo from Cincinnati Enquirer.

Last night I saw Chris Isaak and his band at the State Theatre in Minneapolis. It’s the third time I’ve seen Isaak live. I previously saw him at Mystic Lake in 2009 and at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in 2010. The only reason I missed Isaak in 2011 is that his Twin Cities tour date fell on the day of my wedding. I felt that my nuptials were just slightly more important to attend. Isaak always puts on a great show. It’s easy to see that he loves performing and he’s a natural front man with his matinee-idol good looks and his wicked sense of humor. Not to mention his amazing voice. Isaak looks and sounds amazing; it’s tough to believe that he’s 56. Isaak is always entertaining, whether he’s pogoing across the stage on one foot while playing guitar or telling jokes to the audience. 

Isaak’s band is fantastic, and you can tell they have a great rapport with Chris. Kenney Dale Johnson on drums and Rowland “Roly” Salley on bass have been with Isaak since he first started recording in the mid-1980’s. Isaak even let Salley sing a solo song, “Killing the Blues,” which Salley wrote and which was memorably covered by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant on their terrific album “Raising Sand.” (I knew of the song, but I had no idea that Salley wrote it.) Isaak also gave prime solos to piano and organ player Scott Plunkett, who tore up “Great Balls of Fire,” and lead guitarist Hershel Yatovitz, who played tasty solos all night. Rafael Padilla also did a great job on percussion, but he didn’t get a featured solo. 

Isaak sang most of his big hits like “Wicked Game,” “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing,” “Blue Hotel,” and “San Francisco Days,” hitting all the high notes, as he always does. He also sang some Christmas songs, but only about 3 or 4. He strolled out into the audience during “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and even ran up to the balcony. I thought I might be able to give Chris a high-five as he walked by, but he stopped about 15 or 20 feet away from where we were sitting and turned back. Shucks! My other close encounter with Chris was 2 years ago, when I was about 2 feet away from Chris when he sang “Love Me Tender” to a woman sitting in the row right behind me. Isaak also sang several songs from his most recent CD, the excellent “Beyond the Sun,” his tribute to Sun Records recording artists. (You could argue that Isaak’s entire career has been a tribute to Sun Records recording artists.) Honestly, I didn’t feel that the crowd was terribly enthusiastic last night. The State wasn’t quite sold out, and people didn’t stand up during the show unless Chris exhorted us to. Maybe the balcony was just a little sleepy, and perhaps things were more rockin’ down on the main floor, I’m not sure. The show ended with a three song encore of “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Big Wide Wonderful World,” and an a cappella version of “Worked it Out Wrong,” which is a great song, but not a very up-tempo number to leave on. I would have liked a couple more songs; a rocker like “Speak of the Devil” “Like the Way She Moves” or “I’m Not Sleepy” would have been a great finale to the evening. But that’s a small complaint to have, and I finally got to hear one of my favorite Chris Isaak songs “Notice the Ring,” which he did a terrific version of. Isaak was quite loquacious last night, teasing his band members, kidding around, and making fun of himself. One of my favorite things Chris said was “I know you’re not supposed to take pictures in here, but go ahead. I didn’t dress this way to NOT have my picture taken!” It was a fun show, and I’ll be looking forward to the next time Chris Isaak comes to town. 

Set list, in not quite correct order:

American Boy

Blue Hotel

I Want Your Love

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Christmas on TV

Washington Square

Wicked Game

The Best I Ever Had

San Francisco Days

Notice the Ring

Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing

Somebody’s Crying

Ring of Fire

Dixie Fried

Can’t Help Falling in Love

Killing the Blues-Roly Salley solo

It’s Now or Never

Miss Pearl

Live It Up

Doin’ the Best I Can

Great Balls of Fire

Encore:

Oh, Pretty Woman

Big Wide Wonderful World

Worked It Out Wrong

The Best Music I Heard in 2009

Like my similar post from last year, this list is not just the best albums released in 2009, but the best music I discovered/rediscovered during 2009, regardless of when it originally came out. And I'll pick one great song from each CD.

First up, albums that were released in 2009:

Robyn Hitchcock, "Goodnight Oslo"

A simply brilliant album from one of my favorite songwriters. I've listened to this CD a lot this year, and it holds up very well through repeated listens. One of my music highlights of 2009 was seeing Robyn in concert and meeting him after the show. Check out "Intricate Thing."

Chris Isaak, "Mr. Lucky"

Great comeback album proving that Isaak still has his great songwriting talent and his gorgeous, haunting voice. This is his first album of all-new material since 2002, it's nice to have him back. Listen to "Mr. Lonely Man."

Nick Lowe, "Quiet, Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe"

Okay, so this is a compilation, but it's the only release we got from Nick this year, and it's wonderful to hear all his great songs spread out over two discs. It makes you realize how many truly great songs he's written. Give "Without Love" and "Soulful Wind" a spin. (I had to pick two songs!)

Elvis Costello, "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane"

The ever-prolific Elvis dropped another album this year, and it's a winner. I need to listen to this CD some more. Check out the funny "Sulphur to Sugarcane."

The Beatles re-issues

I just got these for Christmas. (Thanks Mom!) So I haven't fully explored them, but the sound is amazing! Give "Back in the USSR" another listen. And the promo film clips make me want to see a DVD of all of them! (And can we see all 3 "Hello, Goodbye" clips, please?)

Okay, that takes care of CD's that came out in 2009, so let's move back into the past.

The Fireman (Paul McCartney), "Electric Arguments"

Amazing. Macca continues his 21st century winning streak with this more experimental album. Paul's not trying to please anyone here, it really sounds like he's making music for the sheer pleasure of it. Groove to "Highway."

Bruce Springsteen, "The Essential Bruce Springsteen"

I bought Bruce's single-disc "Greatest Hits" in the summer of 2008, but it wasn't until his Super Bowl performance in 2009 and my subsequent purchase of the double-disc "Essential" that I really became a fan. Bruce picked up social protest music where Dylan left it. And he writes better melodies than Dylan. Give "Badlands" and "Brilliant Disguise" a listen.

Leo Kottke, "Instrumentals: The Best of the Capitol Years"

Kottke's guitar playing isn't easy to categorize. Is it folk, country, Americana, jazz, or some hybrid mixture of all of the above? Kottke is a long-time Minnesota resident, so I've known of him for a long time, but it was just this fall when I started to seriously listen to his music. There's no one quite like him on guitar. Check out "Lost John," and prepare to be amazed.

The Beach Boys, "Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys"

I've loved the Beach Boys since I was about 8 years old. I think it had something to do with the fact that they had so many songs about cars, which were one of my primary obsessions as a youngster. I had numerous tapes of their music, and this CD has all the songs that I loved as a kid. Listening to it all over again it reminds me why I loved this music, it's just so much fun to hear! The beautiful harmonies, the sheer joy that drives most of their songs, the great arrangements, it's really stood the test of time. It's too bad that Brian Wilson kind of lost it after "Pet Sounds" and the group really didn't evolve much after 1966. But from 1962-66, they were working at a very high level. Listen to "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations," and tell me that you don't forget all of your problems for three minutes.

John Coltrane, "The Classic Quartet: Complete Impulse Studio Recordings"

I listened to absolutely every note of this mammoth 8-CD set this fall, and it made me rediscover Coltrane's great group. The lineup was Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophones, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. This set collects all of their performances from 1962-65. The first two discs start innocently enough, with Coltrane covering well-worn standards from the 1930's and 40's, played in a relatively straightforward style. The reason Coltrane did this was because many critics at the time were labeling his playing "anti-jazz." So he wanted to show them that he could produce music that was not as "out there" as some of his more recent recordings on the Atlantic label had been. Things change pretty quickly, though, as on Disc 3 we get all of "A Love Supreme," perhaps Coltrane's most eloquent musical statement. In the later discs, song structures start disappearing, and it sounds more like the musicians just jamming. Coltrane's playing was constantly evolving, and one can only speculate where he music would have gone had he lived past 1967 and the young age of 40. The music on this set captures him at the peak of his powers. Listen to the whole album of "A Love Supreme," and if that's too much, go with the haunting song "Alabama," Coltrane's tribute to the civil rights movement.

Concert Review: Chris Isaak

Since the last time I wrote I've been really sick, so I sadly missed seeing Elvis Costello on July 4th. (Because nothing says July 4th like quirky British singer/songwriters, right??) But, I was well enough to attend the Chris Isaak concert on July 11th. It was fantastic! Chris really puts on a great show, his band is fantastic, and he has enough charisma and charm to make anyone like him. I had heard that Chris is really good in concert, but that didn't quite prepare me for how good he would be. He really puts all he has into performing. It's one thing to listen to his records and hear how amazing his voice is, but it's another to see him live in front of you, hitting all those notes perfectly. Wow!

Isaak's primary influences are Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, and Isaak has inherited their gifts. He has Elvis's charisma and showmanship, (and good looks) and he has Orbison's otherworldly voice and songwriting ability. He does a thrilling version of "Only the Lonely" that is a beautiful tribute to Roy.

After about 3 songs, Isaak had the band play "Return to Me," and said he was going to walk into the crowd. I figured he would walk out a few rows and return to the stage. Wrong. He walked through the whole audience, even coming up to see those of us in the cheap seats! After that, he had the whole audience on his side.

All in all, it was a great show, Chris sang some of my favorite songs of his, and it was just so much fun to see a performer who clearly loves performing. At the end of the show, Chris said, after introducing the band, "I'm Chris Isaak, and you just made my day." And you just made mine, Chris.

Here's what he played, in not-quite-perfect order:

American Boy
Mr. Lonely Man
Let Me Down Easy
Somebody's Crying
Return To Me/Love Me Tender
Speak of the Devil
Wicked Game
Beautiful Homes
I Want You To Want Me
Don't Make Me Dream About You-re-arranged as a gospel harmony song
Can't Do a Thing (To Stop Me)
I'll Go Crazy
Only the Lonely
Take My Heart
Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
We Let Her Down
You Don't Cry Like I Do
Summer Holiday
Best I Ever Had
We Lost Our Way
San Francisco Days
Blue Hotel
Big Wide Wonderful World
Western Stars

What I've Been Listening To

Okay, so it's been a really long time since I've posted anything. It seems like May just flew away from me. And now June is half over! I was thinking about posting tonight anyway, but then when I read Uncle E's shout out for this blog, I realized I need to post something! I've been listening to a whole bunch of stuff lately, but I haven't listened to any one thing enough to write something semi-intelligent about it. So, what have I been listening to, you might ask? Well, a ridiculous amount of Chris Isaak and Elvis Costello, as they are the next concerts I'm going to see. Chris Isaak is at Mystic Lake Casino, which is actually a pretty decent place to see a concert, I've seen Tony Bennett there twice. I missed Chris last summer when he was at the Minnesota Zoo, so I'm very happy that I'll catch him this summer. And Elvis is headlining at the Taste of Minnesota. Which is odd, because this year it's all washed-up metal bands. And Elvis. Taste of Minnesota, which happens over July 4th, is kind of like a crappy dry-run for the State Fair, which takes place in late August. It's also odd that Elvis is at Taste of Minnesota, because he still actually has a career, as opposed to most of the bands that play there.

So in preparation for seeing Chris Isaak, I went back and re-listened to all of his albums again. I was struck by how consistently great he is. Really, every album of his is pretty good, although my favorites are "Baja Sessions," "Speak of the Devil," and "Always Got Tonight." (His new CD, "Mr. Lucky," is also really good.) Isaak has a beautiful, haunting voice, and he's a great songwriter. He's like Elvis, if Elvis could have written a song. (Okay, so Elvis did write one song. It's called "You'll Be Gone." Really!) Isaak's album "Forever Blue" is a brilliant, heartbreaking look at a relationship gone wrong.

And I have been listening to a bewildering array of Elvis Costello albums:

Imperial Bedroom (2-Disc Rhino edition)
The River in Reverse (with Allen Toussaint)
This Year's Model (2-Disc Hip-O edition from 2008)
North
My Flame Burns Blue
Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane
and I've listened to the first half of Spike

So, yeah, a bit eclectic! I like all of these albums so far, but I don't know that I have a lot to say about them yet. Suffice it to say, Costello's versatility just blows me away. It's difficult to believe that the same guy put out all these different albums. I really like the songs on "Imperial Bedroom," what a brilliant, dark album. "Beyond Belief" is simply staggering, how do you write something like that? "This Year's Model" is all full of piss and vinegar, an angry young man railing at the world around him. "The River in Reverse" is a beautiful album, and it shows that Elvis still has some piss and vinegar left in him. Collaborating with Allen Toussaint was a smart move. And so was collaborating with the Metropole Orkest on "My Flame Burns Blue," on which Elvis re-arranges a bunch of his old songs for a jazz orchestra. Sounds weird, I know, but Elvis pulls it off. Oddly enough, this is Elvis's only official live album! "North" is a subdued song cycle about the end of one relationship and the beginning of another. It's a very restrained album, but well-written. And Elvis's latest CD, "Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane," what to make of it? It's a bit of a patchwork quilt of an album, with some old songs like "Complicated Shadows," last heard on 1996's "All This Useless Beauty," songs from Costello's unfinished "Secret Songs" commission, and some new stuff thrown in. It's all given a bluegrass/Americana makeover, and again, like everything else I've mentioned, it works for some reason. I can't really say why it works, but I like it.

And, a note about Elvis, last week "Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane" entered the Billboard 200 at number 13, which is Elvis's highest placing since...wait for it..."Get Happy!!" peaked at number 11 in 1980! Isn't that crazy?

Best Music I Discovered in 2008

Okay, so this post may be a little late, considering 2009 is nearly a month and a half old. But I wanted to chronicle some of the great music I discovered in 2008. But, since I didn't buy many new releases in 2008, I decided to change courses and write about the best music I discovered in 2008, regardless of when it was recorded.

Freddie Hubbard, "Red Clay"

Okay, this was a re-discovering. I've had this CD for many years, but I hadn't listened to it in a long time when I pulled it out again last summer. It's a great, adventurous jazz album from 1970. Freddie Hubbard was one of jazz's great trumpeters, and here he worked with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Joe Henderson to create a masterpiece. (He also worked with Lenny White, who played drums, but I've never heard of him before. Sorry Lenny.) Sadly, Freddie died in December, 2008. I'm glad I re-discovered his music before he passed away. (Freddie and I share a birthday, April 7th.)

Chris Isaak, "Speak of the Devil"

Why didn't I get into Chris Isaak in the late 90's, when I was going through my Elvis/Roy Orbison phase? I have no idea, but I've finally jumped on the bandwagon. Isaak has a gorgeous, haunting voice, and he emulates the sound of the 50's and 60's without seeming stuck in a timewarp. From the slow sultriness of "Flying" to the all-out rock of "Like the Way She Moves," Isaak is at his best on these songs, which show him to be a great songwriter as well as a great singer.

Robyn Hitchcock, "Moss Elixir"

This is the album that really made me a fan of Robyn's music. I don't know exactly when things clicked for me, but suddenly, listening to this album, I seemed to "get" Robyn. "Beautiful Queen" and "De Chirico Street" are two of my favorites off of this album.

Queen, "The Platinum Collection"

After years and years of forgetting that I liked Queen, and after hearing so many people sing their songs on "American Idol," I realized I needed to have some Queen in my collection. So I bought "The Platinum Collection," a 3-disc set covering their whole career. It was money well spent. It was amazing to hear all the different sounds of Queen, from "Killer Queen" to "Bohemian Rhapsody" to "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" to "The Show Must Go On." What a brilliant group. And Freddie Mercury had one of the greatest voices in rock.

Nick Lowe, "Jesus of Cool"

It was great to actually hear all of Nick's first solo album, along with lots of B-sides and extras thrown in. Nick is a genius, and extremely underrated.

Mick Ronson, "Only After Dark"

This 2-CD set collects Mick Ronson's solo albums "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" and "Play, Don't Worry." Ronson was the lead guitarist for David Bowie from 1970-73, and he played a vital role in creating four masterpieces, Bowie's albums "Hunky Dory," "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars," "Aladdin Sane," and Lou Reed's "Transformer." (That's Mick playing piano and arranging on "Perfect Day.") A sorely underrated talent, Ronson didn't blow his own horn very much, and was apparently quite content in the sideman role. Which is too bad, because he had enough talent and charisma to be a frontman. (Just watch the "Ziggy Stardust" movie for ample proof of both.) As a die-hard David Bowie fan, I don't know why I waited so long to buy Mick's solo records, but they were worth waiting for. Mick sounds uncannily like Bowie on his version of "Love Me Tender." Mick gets to show off his guitar skills on the instrumental track "Slaughter on 10th Avenue," which was written by Richard Rodgers, or Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein fame. I think that David Bowie's music lost something when he parted ways with Mick Ronson at the end of 1973. Which isn't to say that Bowie's music went downhill, but he lost a terrifically talented musical partner. (The arrangement on "Life on Mars" and the solo on "Moonage Daydream" are perhaps Mick's finest moments with Bowie.) And I don't really know how Ronson would have fit into, say, "Young Americans," but I would have loved to hear it anyway. Like many other talents, Mick Ronson died much too young, of liver cancer in 1993 at just 46. Fortunately, he and Bowie reconciled shortly before his death, and he played guitar on some tracks on Bowie's 1993 album "Black Tie, White Noise."