New York, NY (Top40 Charts) STRAY CATS - original members
Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (upright bass, vocals) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals) - will rock their way across
America this summer when they return to the road for a three-week tour on July 27. The multi-million selling band's trek will include stops in Bend, Los Angeles (two shows in Costa Mesa), San Diego, Denver, New York City and more before wrapping up August 17 in Bridgeport, CT. They'll be joined for these dates by The Midnight Cowgirls as the support act. The tour dates are below, with more to be announced soon.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 29 at 10:00 AM (local time). An artist fan club presale kicks off Wednesday, March 27 10:00 AM (local time); sign up for the band newsletter at Straycats.com to get access.
These shows will mark the STRAY CATS' first performances since the release of their critically acclaimed 2019 album 40 and subsequent reunion tour, which they followed with a live album ROCKED THIS TOWN: FROM LA TO LONDON in 2020. Concertgoers can expect to hear the band's signature unparalleled virtuosity and red-hot rock & roll spirit via their classic tunes alongside their most recent material. Their setlists will include massive hits such as "Stray Cat Strut," "Rock This Town," "Runaway Boys," "(She's) Sexy + 17," "I Won't Stand in Your Way" and more.
BRIAN SETZER: "I've always said that we all grew up in the same neighborhood, so there's an instant feeling between us when we play. It allows us to be confident and spontaneous. Man, that's priceless."
LEE ROCKER: "With just a string bass, a guitar and a drum, we have always had less instruments and gear, but more rumble, more twang, more shake, and more bang than anyone else. Now's the right time to bring it back!"
SLIM JIM PHANTOM: "I'm thrilled to be doing shows in 2024 with Stray Cats in the U.S.A.! Playing drums with Brian and Lee in our rockabilly band is the best possible way to spend a summer!"
The STRAY CATS 2024 dates are as follows:
Saturday 7/27 Woodinville, WA Chateau Ste. Michele Winery^
Sunday 7/28 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Tuesday 7/30 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery*
Thursday 8/1 Costa Mesa, CA The Pacific Amphitheatre
Friday 8/2 Costa Mesa, CA The Pacific Amphitheatre
Saturday 8/3 San Diego, CA The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Monday 8/5 TBA TBA
Tuesday 8/6 Denver, CO The Mission Ballroom
Thursday 8/8 Moorhead, MN Bluestem Center for the Arts
Friday 8/9 Waite Park, MN The Ledge Amphitheater
Saturday 8/10 Gary, IN Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
Monday 8/12 Huber Heights, OH Rose
Music Center at The Heights
Tuesday 8/13 Lewiston, NY Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater
Thursday 8/15 New York, NY The Rooftop at Pier 17
Friday 8/16 Atlantic City, NJ Ocean Casino Resort - Ovation Hall
Saturday 8/17 Bridgeport, CT Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
^On sale now
*Will go on sale at a later date
Here's some rave reviews from the STRAY CATS 2019 tour and 40 album:
"It's was definitely a swingin', rockin', and shoutin' of a good time as the sensational, iconic and legendary band the Stray Cats prowled their way to the Greek Theatre…In no way, shape or form are the Stray Cats showing any signs of slowing down…" - DANIEL SEYUM,
Music Connection, 8/30/19
"All three are now virtuosos on their instruments, with Rocker and Phantom weaving together intricate rhythms while Setzer delivers wild guitar solos…The simplicity of their setup makes what they do with songs like "Rock This Town," which becomes an epic anthem live with solos from Setzer and Rocker, all the more stunning." -
Glenn Gamboa, Newsday (New York), 8/3/19
"The beauty of this band is, even their new songs sound old. That's always been by design. So those brand new tracks fit right into the set with ease." -
Brett Callwood, LA Weekly, 8/30/19
"Thanks to Setzer's wide-ranging guitar vocabulary, the trio has added more "abillies" — jazzabilly, bluesabilly, twangabilly, punkabilly, boogieabilly, surfabilly, swingabilly, even bluegrassabilly. At times Setzer, like Chuck Berry, would switch styles of music in mid-solo Sunday. He truly cut loose on the extended 'Fishnet Stockings,' fingers going full speed up and down the fretboard, downshifting to descending lines, jamming in any direction he wanted and, of course, giving Rocker and Phantom moments to solo…" - Jon Bream, Star Tribune (Minneapolis), 8/19/19
The STRAY CATS, the band that put Rockabilly music back on the record charts in the early '80s, scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual 1950's style brought "up to date" with exaggerated pompadours and colorful tattoos and as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly's original heyday. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979, the trio shared a love for Rockabilly music. After banging around New York for a few months, in the summer of 1980, and seeing a pompadoured kid on the cover of UK magazine NME, they hopped a plane to London where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge. Their massive hits and videos include "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," "Stray Cat Strut" "(She's) Sexy + 17," and "I Won't Stand in Your Way."
