70-year-old Chris Isaak reunites with 35-year-old fan after 21 years
The singer, who once advised a 14-year-old to "slow down," stopped on a Park City street to photograph the woman who still carries that message on her shirt.
By Ricardo Alvarez ·
Chris Isaak stopped on a quiet street in Park City, Utah, to speak with a woman he had not seen in 21 years. The 70-year-old singer had just finished a show at the Egyptian Theatre, a century-old venue where he performed his first of three scheduled concerts in early October. As he and his band walked toward their car from the theater's back exit, they found the only other people on the street were a couple exiting the building.
The man, who had been Isaak's biggest fan since age 14, called out to the group. Isaak turned around. The woman told him she was the youngest fan at a 2005 show in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She remembered that he had leaned toward her during a meet and greet and told her he did not drink. He also told her to enjoy her childhood. He wrote the words "Slow down" inside a heart on her concert shirt with a black Sharpie.
Isaak listened as she recounted the details of that night. He asked her questions about her life. He called the chance encounter providence. He took a photograph with her, something they had not done during their first meeting two decades prior. He then said goodbye, got into the car with his bass guitarist Rowland Salley, and drove away.
The woman, now 35 and a mother of two, sat near the back of the Egyptian Theatre during the October show. She watched Isaak interact with a young girl who had just turned nine. He asked where the birthday girl was sitting, walked her up to the stage, and sang to her. He told her she was now in show business and could tell her teachers she was too busy for arithmetic.
Isaak wore a sparkly suit during the performance. He noted early in the set that he was adjusting to the altitude, which sits roughly 7,000 feet above sea level. The show lasted about two hours. The woman's husband, who had seen Isaak six times because of her fandom, sat beside her. They stayed in their seats after the crowd began to leave.
The woman had first attended an Isaak concert at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach in the summer of 2005. She was 14 and knew all the songs because her father had shared his music collection with her. She stood close to the stage during the performance. After the show, she joined the line for autographs. Isaak, then 49, spent several minutes speaking with her. He commented on how young people often try to grow up too fast.
The interaction in 2005 was an official meet and greet. The encounter in 2026 was not. The woman had decided to take the long way back to her car, walking down a less busy street that led to the back of the theater. She saw the back door open as she walked by. She had not planned the meeting. She had not brought a gift or a specific question. She simply wanted to tell him that his advice from 21 years ago still mattered to her.
Isaak is known for his campy humor and high notes. He performed "Wicked Game" during the 2005 show. The woman remembers his voice and his enthusiasm more than the specific songs. She has attended seven concerts over the years. She bought another Isaak shirt in the lobby after the October show. She now has a photograph from 2026 to go with the shirt from 2005.
