Detroit Review of CI

Posted by Devon

Relatively new to this message board, but not new to CI&S....

I'm a 32 yr old SWM musician who has an affinity for good music and has been impressed with CI since his hit "Wicked Game", but until now had never experienced him live. Here are some words about my 6/26 experience in Detroit:

Chene Park is an outdoor amphitheater on the Detroit River, perhaps one of the nicer I've visited. CI was the last to play; two local performers played an hour each, while The Robert Cray Band at third place played a bit longer. CI&S played their full set, nonetheless (just as you folks promised).

To CI and crew's disadvantage was the fact that all three previous performers had set up their gear in layers in front of Silvertone's usual arrangement. This meant that all had to be cleared before they could perform, and it was obvious that Chris's Road Crew was a bit unsatisfied with the way the Detroit locals handled things...there were a lot of orders given and changes made before the Band could start.

They were introduced with some stirring music as Silvertone took the stage, and then the audience was stunned with Chris' "sequined entrance". The audience was fully primed and at their feet as he arrived.

The same set list was followed as before, and I got a feeling early on that Chene Park's acoustics were taking their toll. Having enjoyed the VH1 Hard Rock Live performance, I knew the band was capable of Compact Disc-like sound, and soon realized that this night's setup couldn't overcome the lousy outdoor stage. Chene Park is all concrete with a high canopy, which muddied notes and made some lyrics difficult to understand, even from my 25th row seat between Hershel and Chris. On top of this the sound was not managed well at first and I was disappointed with the fact that Hershel's 'Speak of the Devil' riffs were difficult to hear. Nonetheless, there was obviously no shortage of energy this evening and the fans (even the ones who came to see Robert Cray only) were just eating this stuff UP!!

Throughout the night the heat & humidity was hammering the guys on stage; add to this the floodlights and you KNOW it was hot under those double breasted suits (not to mention CI's "Suit of Mirrors") but they never let up...the only surprise came after Chris had begun "Forever Blue" -- he loudly said ---"STOP"--- after the first stanza, stating "...hey Mr. Light Man, kill those lights some...I can keep away from these bugs during the fast songs, but I'm eatin' a lot of flyin' steak on the slow ones..." and made some other statement regarding protein intake or something or other. The spotlights then dimmed and he began again with a stirring rendition, being less bothered by the bugs that were attracted to the reflections off the band members. The next day I asked him if he skipped his dinner or not that night and he said "I swallowed a bunch of 'em".

According to my lady, Chris was more 'chatty' during this performance than his previous concerts on his "Forever Blue" tour, which might be no surprise if one were to consider what the fellow was going through at the time. I sincerely enjoyed his jokes & antics (though I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have laughed out loud quite so much with my lady present), and we both agreed that his sense of humor is indeed quite dark.....

Regardless of the cons the band faced, their fans were well rewarded for their wait that night, and I walked away from my first Chris Isaak and Silvertone concert a happy man. The wait for autographs was hideous, and a lot of folks seemed to have had a lot to drink (lack of patience is a 'bad, bad thing') so we passed knowing we'd have another opportunity. We drove home that night only to head off to Merrilleville, Indiana for his next appearance on Sunday....! That review to follow; thanks for reading.

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