It’s easy to sit at home and stick with your normal routines, whatever they may be. But today we decided to get “off the couch” and attend a concert. We haven’t been to a concert venue since attending a stellar performance by Lucinda Williams at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. But that’s another story.

Anyway, we purchased our tickets, and on the appropriate date and time, we walked from our hotel to the venue. The auditorium was a medium sized room with a slope floor, and a balcony above.

Chris Isaak took the stage just a few minutes after the appointed hour and started right in on a song. After playing the first two songs Chris spoke to the audience and said that he was not a professional entertainer. He said Taylor Swift, on the other hand, was a true “professionnelle” in his best French. He said the French have a word for everything. He advised us to think of this as entertainment at a State Fair. That turned out to be a true statement. Later in the show he took a wireless microphone and strolled up the main aisle, stopping to sit on an armrest, touching fans and shaking hands with them. All the time belting out a song.

The photo above shows him at our row, way towards the back of this small venue. Then he turned and went out the back door to room and went up to the balcony, which you can see is overhanging our row. He returned down the left side of the theater and got back on the stage. The fans really enjoyed this interaction. And he continued to interact with the crowd all during the show.

Here he is on stage with his band. There was Chris, his lead guitarist, a drummer, Rowland the bass player, and the keyboardist who also played the accordion on occasion.

On the right in the dark suit, is the lead guitarist who Chris called “the king of strings”. He was a crazy good lead guitarist who proved his title over and over again during the concert. On the left (in the photo) is Rowland Salley the bass player, who’s been with Chris since the beginning—some 41 years. Even though the oldest member of the band, I think he was one of the most vivacious.

Rowland Salley (born November 2, 1949) is an American musician, sometimes called Roly Salley. He is a bass guitarist and vocalist for Chris Isaak’s band Silvertone. His best-known tune is “Killing the Blues”, which has been covered by John Prine, Chris Smither, Shawn Colvin, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Shooter Jennings and Billy Ray Cyrus, Lo-Fang and Sean Keane. As a band member for Chris Isaak, he was a regular on The Chris Isaak Show. From Wikipedia.

On one of several songs that Chris sang by Roy Orbison, he invited the crowd to get up and slow dance with their partner. Many did. And some, who didn’t have a partner, got up and swayed to the music by themselves. One enthusiastic fan asked a security guard at the front if he would dance with her. He shook his head so she continued to dance solo up near the stage.

Chris left the stage, along with his band at the “end” and received a prolonged standing ovation. He returned in sequined pants and jacket and played several more songs. During one, he invited a blond to come up and dance on stage while he sang, which she did with unabashed enthusiasm. Meanwhile another gal invited herself to the stage, and they both danced during the entire song.

When that song ended he gave the obviously heavy and warm sequined jacket to his stage manger and played a few more songs in his short sleeve shirt.

It was a great show, and his interaction with the audience made it even better. He sang for almost 2 hours without an intermission. We enjoyed the concert and were pleased we got out and about and tried something new.