Chris Isaak’s Wicked Gig!!

19Apr07

Chris Isaak, Live in Dublin, The Village, Monday April 16, 2007. 

 

Chris:

I touched Chris Isaak!!! OK, OK, so I am supposed to be reviewing the gig which was a-bleedin-mazing (the Irish Times said “this was one of the gigs of the year”) but I just thought I’d get in the fact that I patted Chris Isaak’s back, on his diamante encrusted baby blue Tennessee style suit. But more about that later!

The anticipation among the crowd (which included all of the dacmusic crew of Derek, Anita and myself, Chris) was palpable as the great man’s arrival on stage was imminent. When the whole band had to walk along the front of the small and very crowded stage to actually get on stage, we knew this was gonna be an intimate one. And so it proved as Chris (he’s Chris to me now, seeing as we are on back-slapping terms…) appeared like an apparition. His presence just filled the whole place and that blue suit just said “Show time!”.

The band launched into brilliantly played song after classic song. They were tight, total pros and going from hard rocking to blues to acoustic via numerous musical genres and back again. At one stage the whole band, drummer included, lined the front of the stage to play, with Chris then beautifully playing some acoustic songs on his own later.

The humour was non-stop and I spent half the gig smiling and laughing and the other half in awe of a superb show as Chris engaged the audience throughout. After just 3 or 4 songs, there was an audible gasp as he actually jumped off the stage with his beautiful white Gibson guitar and actually ran down the middle of the crowd! That’s when I patted him on the back as he went past, my wife later telling me that she felt his leg…. hmm, I’ll say no more about that! The crowd parted like the Red Sea as a beam of light lit the empty floor space leading from stage to artist, then through the crowd again and up on stage for more.

Wicked Game, one of the biggest songs any artist could have in a repertoire, was about 6^th or 7^th on the set list and it was a really wise decision not to have the crowd waiting ‘til the end for it. No great build up to it, no shouts from a crowd impatient for The Big Tune at a gig’s end, just an incredibly wonderful and immaculately played song with Chris holding that long note at the end to whoops of appreciation from a by now ecstatic crowd.

Everyone was high on the brilliant atmosphere generated by the band and well aware we weren’t just witnessing something great; we were part of something great and they wanted us to be part of it. So much so that 3 girls were invited onto stage to dance to one track, with one girl being chatted to by Chris (asking for her name she didn’t miss a beat in saying “My name is Sue… how do you do??”, the only occasion in the whole night where Chris seemed stumped for words!). He then asked her to dance for him as they flirted but when she broke out into Irish dancing he stopped her and said “Hey I know this is our first time in Ireland but I’ve seen that in Riverdance in Vegas!”. Bang on cue, the band struck up a riff Gypsy Lee Rose could perform to and Sue obliged with some suitable if subtle hip swaying. The band looked impressed…!

But the show must go on, and on it did for 2 solid hours, banter between Chris and the band members adding to the whole party and a Cuban drummer joining them on stage claiming to be part Irish (no-one in the crowd bought it!), suit changes a-plenty as blue was replaced by his mirror suit. Then we were treated to a few tracks better known for being sung by Elvis (Blue Moon, Don’t Be Cruel) and Roy Orbison (Only the Lonely) to whom Chris played great tribute saying he was a great artist as well as a wonderful man and who gave them their first break, which sounded totally genuine and heartfelt.

At one stage, with no instruments at all and showing that his incredible voice could span so many genres, Chris broke out into “Take All of Me” showing he could Brat Pack with the best of ‘em. Between that and his crooning, falsetto and fantastic vocal range and the emotional weight in his voice, it was a musical virtuoso performance at every level by both band (the Silvertones, together for over 20 years) and the main man himself.

A spellbinding rendition of Blue Spanish Sky, a wicked Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing, a spirit-soaring Blue Hotel, San Francisco Days/Nights became Dublin Days/Nights for one night only, and an unrecorded song which Chris advised “would be a great one to record for all of you bootleggers out there!” and a host of other wonderful songs had the crowd pleading for more. After one wonderful encore, it was over. Not just one of the best gigs of the year, but one of the best I’ll ever go to. Musically and vocally astonishing, brilliant atmosphere created by a band which really cared that everyone had an unforgettable time, and then Chris donning yet another suit and making himself available to sign autographs and meet people at the back of the small venue. A lot of big stars could learn a lot from this true entertainment maestro.

Chris, from every soul who joined with you on the night, thank you!

Chris.

 

Review from Derek:Chris Isaak, last night, in The Village, will most likely be the gig of the year… not only is he an incredible singer, effortlessly gliding from a rich baritone to trademark falsetto, his band (who’ve been with him from the start) are 1^st class… he creates a mix of old style rock’n'roll, with a little bit of Country and surf music, combined with some heart wrenching ballads all wrapped up in a Vegas suit and a Californian dust bowl soundscape… he’s also an untouchable entertainer and proved that entertaining is an art form, honed over the years, to produce an incredible evening for the whole audience… not one person left there without a huge smile and a need to say the word “Wow” over and over, all the way home…

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