Review + Set List

Posted by Jim

Having followed his career for 11 years, I was thrilled when he finally made it to Louisville. I saw him at Bogart's in Cincinnati, OH in 1991 but he mostly did covers and joked around a lot. This time he was serious, although he did show off his quirky sense of humor throughout the evening.

The show began with a 45 minute set by the band Owsley. They were much too loud for the space and few people stuck around to hear them. The Center for the Arts is sort of a modern opera house with balconies and the like and is just not very well suited for loud rock 'n roll. Anyway, they weren't that good to begin with.

After an intermission, Silvertone took the stage dressed in bright red suits. Soon after, Isaak appeared with a blue velvet suit with silver sequins. The show was, for the most part, very tight and energetic, with his humorous banter thrown in at the right times. He said that it was about time that he played Louisville and that he was going to play a long set and therefore would have to cut back the following night in Indianapolis. He played at least songs from most of his 7 albums; his earlier work wasn't as well represented as I would have hoped, though ( See set list below), he did do a good job of mixing the old with the new. For his encores he wore the suit of mirrors, removing the jacket for the final 2 songs while two young women from the crowd danced with the band onstage.

For my money, Chris Isaak is one of the best singer/songwriters around , possessing a bona fide flair for the performance. He seems to genuinely care about the audience, as shown in the fact that he signed autographs following the show for a very large and appreciative crowd. Hopefully, we won't have to wait so long to see him the next time.

Set List: (These are the actual titles, as he recorded them, not just my best guess)

Wanderin'
I'm Not Sleepy
Please
Speak of the Devil
Flying
Somebody's Crying
Wicked Game
Go Walking Down There
Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing
Forever Blue
I Want Your Love
Diddly Diddly Daddy
Super Magic 2000
Can't Do a Thing (to Stop Me)
Only the Lonely
Return to Me
San Francisco Days
Bonnie B.

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