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Chris Isaak’s obsession with Elvis, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison has rarely been as obvious as it is on his two holiday albums, 2004’s simply titled Christmas and 2022’s Everybody Knows It’s Christmas. Isaak’s swoony croon is in full bloom on rockabilly-inspired covers of “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Help Me Baby Jesus,” “Blue Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland.” Isaak also throws in some original tunes, including one celebrating his favorite animal — “Dogs Love Christmas Too” finds the now-69-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist in a playful mood: “Dogs love Christmas too, just like me and you/No, they don’t go shopping or hang up a stocking/But there’s lots of things they do.”

It’s then no surprise that Isaak’s 2025 Holiday Tour is again partnering with the BISSELL Pet Foundation from Dec. 1-15 to draw attention to Empty the Shelters, an adoption program. The collaboration encourages fans in participating touring markets to adopt dogs that Isaak literally brings on stage with him.

“I’ve been working with musicians and actors most of my life, so getting to bring animals on stage was a natural step up,” Isaak said in a press release announcing the tour. “I knew that they could be counted on to steal the show, and they always do! Partnering with BISSELL Pet Foundation again this year feels like a great way to both celebrate the holidays and help get dogs and cats a home. It makes our Christmas show much more special — the pets get out of the shelter for the evening, and hopefully you will get to find a forever friend!”

If Isaak’s past holiday tours are any indication, expect some of his non-Christmas staples to find their way into the set list: “Two Hearts,” “San Francisco Days,” “Somebody’s Crying,” “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” and, of course, “Wicked Game.” Dogs, Christmas and love gone bad — three of Isaak’s favorite topics in one evening.

Chris Isaak plays Hard Rock Casino on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. More info: casino.hardrock.com.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 10 print edition.

This article appears in Dec. 10-23.

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