August 2, 2023 -- Music on the Mountain

Mountain Winery
Saratoga, CA

I wasn't planning on writing up my Wednesday night trip to the Mountain Winery to see Chris Isaak. I have a really hard time judging how much interest people outside of the San Francisco Bay Area have in Chris. I suspect most people know him as the guy who sang "Wicked Game" and had a fun TV show in the early 2000s and that's about it.

Meanwhile, I remember talking about Chris Isaak with my friends when we were in high school. He was popular on the San Francisco music scene and his first album Silvertone came out when I was a junior in high school. None of us were able to actually see Chris in those early days as he was usually playing clubs we weren't old enough to get in to (and even if any of us had tried to use a fake ID we all looked younger than we were anyway and it would have never worked!) Still, we knew who he was and I have followed his career ever since, including referring to guitarist Hershel Yatovitz as the "new guy" in his band. (Hershel's been in the band since 1995, about the same time I could finally afford to go see Chris.)

It had actually been quite a while since I'd last seen Chris. The usual vagaries of conflicts with time and money had a lot to do with that, but I was quite surprised to realize it had been over 10 years since I'd seen him last! So when I saw him once again on the Mountain Winery calendar I grabbed myself a ticket.

The Mountain Winery is a gorgeous venue in the hills above the Santa Clara Valley (aka "Silicon Valley") but it is a chore getting there. Driving up the narrow winding roads is nerve wracking in the daylight and downright scary at night. Still, it's worth the trek up the mountain to a scenic venue with a great view of the South Bay. It's a bit hard to believe that we're still in the heart of the Bay Area and it feels miles away.

Located where it is, you're generally stuck either bringing a picnic dinner or grabbing something from one of the various eateries on site. You can grab a quick salad or pizza from the concession stands or get a nice sit down 3 course dinner on one of the patios, just depends on how much you're willing to spend. I went for a salad this time and sat beneath some trees while I ate and could hear a band playing off by one of the dining areas. A nice relaxing way to start the evening.

Most shows at the Mountain Winery usually include an opening act. Sometimes it's an act touring with the main performer and others they're booked separately. That seems to be the case for this show. I didn't even notice the name of the opening act before the show other than to note that I didn't recognize the name and figured it would be some forgettable act as so many similar acts I've seen over the years. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The fellow who opened the show was named David Luning (I had to text a friend to look it up for me since I couldn't connect to the internet after his set ended) and he and his band mate Ben Dubin (also had to look that up) were absolutely fantastic! The best way to describe his music is probably with the catch-all "Americana" -- a little folky, a little country, a little bluesy. He played about a half dozen songs with just him on an acoustic guitar while Ben played a stand up bass, harmonica, and tambourine -- AT THE SAME TIME! The tambourine was taped to the floor and played using drum pedals in case you were wondering. It's rare that I see an opening act I've never heard of and immediately want to find more of their music, but that was the case here. I'm definitely going to be checking out more of his stuff! (Interestingly the last time I remember seeing a new act and wanting to find their music was also at a Chris Isaak show. The Wallflowers opened for him right when their first album came out -- my friend Mary and I headed to the Virgin Megastore right after the show ended to find their album. Not sure if either of us bought it that night, but we had it soon afterwards if not!)

After being thoroughly entertained by David Luning, it was time for Chris and his band to take the stage. I had a great seat to the side of the stage and could see them entering from back stage and it was great to see his familiar band take the stage before Chris appeared in a light blue suit with paisley rhinestones down the sides of his pants and on the lapels of his jacket. No one looks like Chris Isaak on stage!

Since it had been so long since I'd last seen Chris, I'd rather forgotten just how much fun his shows are. With his quirky sense of humor and his melancholy songs it's always a fun night. The show kicked off with the song he used as the theme song for his television show "American Boy" which is a fun little romp. Then a few songs in, Chris wandered out into the audience while singing "Don't Leave Me on My Own" and I was pleasantly surprised when he started up the stairs next to my section!

"Wicked Game" came along surprisingly early in the set which I thought was great. He's got so many excellent tunes that getting the biggest hit out of the way early allowed everyone to enjoy the rest of the set. Chris was influenced quite a bit by Roy Orbison and he told a story of opening for Roy at the Mountain Winery early in his career and Roy calling him over to stand next to him while being photographed by the press. It was a great way to open his cover of "Only the Lonely." Another highlight was his cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love." If you can't have Elvis sing that song for you, Chris is a damn good replacement. Beyond that, I again have a hard time choosing my favorite moments as he played so many of my favorite songs. "Dancin'", "Blue Hotel", and "San Francisco Days" probably top the list.

A brief intermission and Chris and the band were back for their encore. Chris now in his mirrorball suit that I always wonder how he gets it cleaned! The whole encore was a highlight. From hitting and holding the high notes in "Can't Do a Thing to Stop Me" to paying tribute to Paul Rubens (aka Pee Wee Herman) with a bit of "Tequila" to having his brother Nick join him on stage to sing a song in Spanish to the soft close out of "The Way Things Really Are."

I need to make sure to not take so much time between seeing Chris again!

David Luning set list (courtesy of setlist.fm)

Bad Idea
Almost Sounds Like Laughing
Ain't Easy
Danger
I Won't Cry (Janiva Magness cover) [someone else I need to check out!]
Give Me Back My Keys
Ain't Life a Beautiful Thing 

Chris Isaak set list (courtesy of setlist.fm)

American Boy
Somebody's Crying
Waiting
Don't Leave Me On My Own
I Want Your Love
Wicked Game
Go Walking Down There
Speak of the Devil
Oh, Pretty Woman
Forever Blue
Two Hearts
Blue Spanish Sky
Only the Lonely
Dancin'
Killing the Blues (Rowland Salley vocals)
Can't Help Falling in Love
Blue Hotel
San Francisco Days
Big Wide Wonderful World
Notice the Ring
 
Encore:
In the Heat of the Jungle / Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing / James Bond Theme/ Bye Bye Baby
Can't Do a Thing (To Stop Me)
Tequila
La tumba será el final (with Nick Isaak)
The Way Things Really Are