Las Vegas Weekly

August 24, 2010 · 5:01 PM

Photos: Chris Isaak brings a wicked good game to The M Resort

By Don Chareunsy

Chris Isaak performs at M Resort on Aug. 21, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

By Don Chareunsy, Vegas DeLuxe editor

San Francisco crooner Chris Isaak -- he of the smooth, heartbroken voice, slight pompadour and flamboyant rockabilly suits -- made a hot and humid Saturday night even hotter with a smoldering and sensational 2-hour, 27-song outdoor concert poolside at The M Resort.

The band wore matching black suits with white stylized flames (or avant-garde cactus?), and Isaak wore a Tiffany blue suit with red stylized flames when they entered the stage just a few minutes after the scheduled start time. While a longtime fan of Isaak’s music -- I have a 45(!) of “Blue Hotel” packed away somewhere -- his show surprisingly ended up being one of my all-time favorite concerts.

There were no pyrotechnics, crazy costume changes (for the most part) or backup dancers (for the most part). It was just one talented man with his wide-ranging vocals, sense of humor (he thanked the audience “for leaving your hotel rooms to support live music”; in a Jersey accent, he labeled his group “real professional entertainment” with nudity; and he admitted to “hogging the bedazzler”), endless charm, guitars and band (two guitarists, two drummers and one keyboardist), and it all worked perfectly.

Highlights included a note that lasted for seemingly minutes at the end of “Dancin’ ”; a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender,” at which point he walked into the audience and danced with a few fans; his big hit “Wicked Game,” which received a standing ovation and was impressively pitch perfect, falsetto included, while the video with Helena Christensen played in the background on the big screen; the sexy young woman pulled onstage during “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing”; and his silver suit made of mirrors, which could be seen by astronauts in outer space, worn during the four-song encore.

Including live albums, Isaak, 54 and still handsome, has released more than a dozen CDs in his 25-year career. The night’s set list: “Lonely With a Broken Heart,” “Dancin’, ” “Two Hearts,” “Cryin’,” “Love Me Tender,” “I Want Your Love,” “Cheater’s Town,” “Speak of the Devil,” “Wicked Game,” “Go Walking Down There,” “The Best I Ever Had,” “One Day,” “Big Wide Wonderful World,” “Worked It Out Wrong,” “We Lost Our Way,” “Take My Heart,” “Western Stars,” “Dark Moon,” “Don’t Leave Me on My Own,” “Graduation Day,” “Crazy,” “You Don’t Cry Like I Do” and “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing.” The encore was “Blue Hotel,” “San Francisco Days,” Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” and an up-tempo “Now She’s Gone.”

Early on in the concert, fans rushed to the stage, as much as one can poolside with seats lined in three quadrants, and, surprisingly, security didn’t stop or remove them. If the front-row of fans didn’t mind, why bother? Although at one point, a cougar walked up to the front with a drink in hand and assets on full display, and, for a split second, Isaak look truly frightened.

At the end of the night, Isaak introduced and thanked his band, then exited the stage after exclaiming, “And I’m Wayne Newton!”

A big thank you to contributing photographer Tom Donoghue for his images for Vegas DeLuxe’s photo gallery.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

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