Article Contributed by SRO
Published on 2026-03-09
The Stray Cats—all three original members Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (upright bass, vocals), and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)—will return to the road in 2026 with a month-long cross-country summer tour. Kicking off July 24 in Las Vegas, the legendary rockabilly trio will bring their explosive live show and red-hot rock & roll to audiences nationwide, including multiple stops throughout California before wrapping with three New York-area performances.
The band’s setlists will be highlighted by some of the iconic multi-million-selling group’s biggest hits, including “Stray Cat Strut,” “Rock This Town,” “Runaway Boys,” “(She’s) Sexy + 17,” and much more. The initial tour dates are below, with additional shows expected to be announced soon.
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 13 at 10:00 AM (local time). An artist fan club presale kicks off Tuesday, March 10 at 10:00 AM and runs through Thursday, March 12 at 10:00 PM (local time). Fans can sign up for the band newsletter here: Fan Club Sign-Up.
Brian Setzer says, “It’s good to be healthy and strong again. There’s something about the unique sound of The Stray Cats that keeps drawing me in. The Gretsch guitar, the acoustic bass, and the stand-up drums still sound pure and fresh today. Come on out and have some fun with us this summer.”
Lee Rocker adds, “The Stray Cats are back and ready to blast off! It’s an amazing feeling to join up with Brian and Slim, hit the stage and rock across America. No one can do it like us Cats… nobody comes close.”
Slim Jim Phantom notes, “With The Stray Cats, there’s always some extra magic around the summertime shows. It’s the perfect time for the Cats & Kittens to get dolled up, put the top down, and cruise to the greatest rockabilly show on earth.”
Last year the iconic multi-million-selling band released two new tracks via Surfdog Records: the loud, upbeat “Stampede,” which is unmistakably The Stray Cats, and their cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Teenage Heaven.” These songs marked the group’s first new music in six years.
Both tracks were produced by The Stray Cats, mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, and recorded at The Terrarium in Minneapolis, MN and Laguna Sound in Laguna Beach, CA. “Stampede” was written by Brian Setzer, Peter B. Antonio, Wally Zober, Bert Salmirs, and Mike Himelstein, while “Teenage Heaven” was penned by Jerry Capehart and Eddie Cochran.
July 24 — Las Vegas, NV — The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan
July 25 — Phoenix, AZ — Celebrity Theatre
July 26 — Del Mar, CA — The Sound
July 28 — Highland, CA — Yaamava’ Theater
July 29 — Highland, CA — Yaamava’ Theater
July 31 — Santa Rosa, CA — Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
August 1 — Saratoga, CA — The Mountain Winery *TBA on sale*
August 2 — Wheatland, CA — Hard Rock Live
August 4 — Sandy, UT — Sandy Amphitheater
August 5 — Colorado Springs, CO — Pikes Peak Center
August 7 — TBA
August 8 — Kansas City, MO — Uptown Theater
August 10 — Huber Heights, OH — Rose Music Center at The Heights
August 11 — TBA
August 12 — Northfield, OH — MGM Northfield Park
August 14 — Westbury, NY — Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair
August 15 — Atlantic City, NJ — Ocean Casino Resort
August 16 — Morristown, NJ — Mayo Performing Arts Center
The Stray Cats, the band that put rockabilly music back on the charts in the early 1980s, scored major hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual style inspired by the 1950s—updated with exaggerated pompadours, colorful tattoos, and genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly’s original heyday.
Formed by guitarist and 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 deep love of rockabilly music. After playing around New York for a few months, the band took a bold step in the summer of 1980 when they saw a pompadoured kid on the cover of the UK magazine NME and hopped a plane to London, where a rockabilly revival was 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.”
