It's hard to write about Chris Isaak without making at least one Elvis Presley reference. After seeing him at Thunder Valley Casino and Resorts outdoor stage it is obvious that he doesn’t do anything to discourage these references; especially with a look and swagger like Elvis, voice similar to Elvis and an uncanny ability to work the audience the way Elvis did. Chris is not Elvis, but his persona and performance surely have benefitted from the Kings popularity.

It was the late 1980s when Chris Isaak first gained fame with his hit, ‘Wicked Game.’ However, it was his fifth album ‘Forever Blue’ that made Chris the star he is today – the album was credited with an amazing sound track that critics and fans still rave over.

Now that it is 2010, Chris’s style of a little bit rock and roll, a little bit country (with some gospel thrown in), is still a pleasure to listen to. Chris knows how to use his slow and sultry tones to make his ballads a work of art and his high energy rock style to engage the audience. As he bounced from one extreme to another, the audience followed as if in a trance.

No matter which type of song Chris performed he never stopped enjoying himself. Decked-out in a bright pink suit and singing in front of a large crowd at Thunder Valley Casino, Chris had the audience laughing, cheering and even dancing to many of his hits. At one point in the concert, Chris and his ensemble started an open jam session that brought the audience to their feet. Being characteristically Chris, during ‘Love Me Tender’, he walked into the audience and serenaded the ladies. Then, as if one song was not enough, he proceeded to cover the second half of the floor singing ‘Return to Me.’

One of the more fascinating things about the evening was talking to Chris about being in the audience at the Tony Bennett concert the night before. He stated that, “I closed my eyes numerous times just to hear his voice.” Chris was so impressed with the class and grace of Tony that when he and three members of his band went to dinner after the show they, “acted like high school girls who had just gone to see the Beatles.”

Chris’s set consisted of over 20 of his most popular songs and was just under two hours in length. All-in-all is was an entertaining and enjoyable show that brought back fond memories of the late 80s and early 90s. Chris Isaak is still a force to be reckoned with and seeing him on stage perform was a wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday evening.

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For more information on Chris Isaak click here.

Photos by Marc McLaughlin

Marc McLaughlin is a Contributing Writer and Photographer with Sacramento Press