
Monster hit “Wicked Game” came early in the evening, but a tape glitch required an equally shimmering repeat performance. Mid-set, rockabilly queen and Continental Club favorite Wanda Jackson came out to belt her 1957 hit, “Fujiyama Mama,” a portent of what was to come. The vocal gymnastics and New Wave bop of Isaak's “Dancin’” were a high point before the set change.
With a new backdrop simulating Sun Studios, Isaak concentrated on his latest album, Beyond the Sun, a collection of songs that were his childhood favorites – tunes associated with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others recorded or influenced by Sam Phillips at his famed Memphis recording studio. Dedicated to hillbilly sounds rather than the pop sheen of his own work, Isaak’s band Silvertone powered its way through mega-hits like “Ring of Fire,” while showing due restraint on tunes like the glistening “How’s the World Treating You.”
Wanda Jackson appeared again for a terrific duet on “Trying to Remember to Forget,” then proceeded to proudly recollect her relationship with Presley.
“He was a great kisser,” she said with a sly smile.
A shout-out to Carl Perkins along with a version of “Great Balls of Fire“ that was the definition of rollicking sent everyone home, worn out and beaming. Incredibly, it seemed that Chris Isaak was the only one who had just begun to sweat.
Chris Isaak, Wanda Jackson, Sun Studios, Sam Phillips, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins