Chris Isaak and Melissa Etheridge might be worlds apart musically but they share a love of the stage.

Isaak, a Californian inspired by rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll, and Etheridge, a Midwesterner raised on classic rock, have earned reputations for being able to deliver live.

Both will grace the stage of the American Music Theatre -- Isaak on Sunday and Etheridge on Monday.

And both promise to bring their "A" games.

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Isaak, who supplements his music career with work in television and film, says he never takes a night off -- physically or mentally.

He says he and his band (Kenney Dale Johnson on drums, Rowland Salley on bass and Hershel Yatovitz on guitar) haven't missed a gig in 25 years and always give everything they've got.

"Every show's an audition," Isaac, 54, says during a telephone interview. "There's no small town and there's no nights that don't count. And if you go out someplace and you go, 'Nah, I'm going to lay down tonight and take it easy,' well, those people paid good money. They're not going to come back and see you. You better get up and do every trick you know."

Isaak credits his work ethic to his father, who worked a pair of "crummy" jobs and made sure his son was the first to arrive at school each morning because he had to get to his job so early.

"I have a real distinct memory of thinking I want to get a job where I don't have to work as hard as he did," Isaak says.

The musician, who released his debut album in 1984, burst into the national consciousness in 1991 when his song "Wicked Game" became a Top 10 hit.

Though Isaak has never repeated that kind of success with a single, he has enjoyed a solid career as a recording and touring artist, branching out into television and movies.

"My career has been one of minute improvements constantly, which I think is a great thing," he says. "A lot of people have a huge hit and they disappear. I've played clubs and bars and better clubs and better bars and got a band and a better band and got signed and got a bigger audience and television and movies and stuff."

His latest album, "Live at the Fillmore," released earlier this year, captures Isaak where he's most comfortable -- onstage.

"I think I have a talented band," he says. "I think I'm a good singer and songwriter. But there's all kinds of people with talent. For a live show, it's more than just talent. You have to want to entertain people. And I think that we do."

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Two performances by Melissa Etheridge stand out.

One was her performance of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" at the 2006 Grammys. It was her first performance since being diagnosed with breast cancer and she was bald due to chemotherapy.

The other was the televised 2001 Concert for New York City, when her microphone went dead while she was singing Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run."

She never blinked and just kept right on playing and singing -- amplification or no amplification.

"When that happened," Etheridge says during an interview, "I knew it was live television -- live, live, live. Someone had unplugged my microphone and the most beautiful thing happened: The whole audience filled with policemen and firemen sang for me. Oh my gosh, it was one of my favorite moments onstage."

Because so much attention is focused on her personal life (Etheridge, a lesbian who is a gay rights activist, has endured two highly publicized breakups with former partners), it's easy to forget what a potent rocker she can be.

Albums like "Skin" (2001) and "The Awakening" (2007) had showcased her quieter, more introspective side.

Etheridge said she decided she wanted to make a rock album after finishing the tour for "The Awakening."

"When I was done in 2008 I went, 'All right now, I feel like I've cleaned my soul,' " she says. " 'I'm confident about what I'm doing. I'm not going anywhere. I've stood up in front of the world bald onstage and I think I can be a rock star now.' "

Her latest album, "Fearless Love," released earlier this year, reunites her with producer John Shanks, who worked with her on the 1999 album "Breakdown."

"I told him I want an album that rocks like those albums we love, like the Led Zeppelins and the Pink Floyds and the Aerosmiths and the Who -- all those records we just love and used to listen to on the bus. I want to make that record," she says.

Etheridge says she will likely play 10 or 12 of the songs from "Fearless Love" during her show at AMT.

"That's why I have a three-hour show," she says. "I want to play everything. Getting up onstage and singing for people, that's what it's all about."

Chris Isaak with Marc Broussard

Sun. 7 p.m. $69

Melissa Etheridge

Mon. 8 p.m. $75-$115

American Music Theatre

2425 Lincoln Highway East

397-7700
www.amtshows.com