Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom, and Lee Rocker took the Stray Cats out on a fifteen-date summer tour for the first time in five years.

It is a rare occasion when you can see legendary rockabilly artist Brian Setzer in concert. Even rarer are the times when the original lineup of the Stray Cats hits the road. This short sequence of performances, then, was truly something special. 

The Stray Cats were a surprise success in the 1980s – a surprise in the sense that they resurrected a sound that hadn’t been popular in mainstream music for thirty years. Bolstered by the popularity of their videos on the emergent MTV network, the band, and especially frontman Brian Setzer, skyrocketed to stardom. Much of their early music is a signpost reference for contemporary rockabilly, especially the albums Stray Cats (1980) and Rant n’ Rave with the Stray Cats (1983). Blast Off! (1989) was a big one, too, marking as it did the reunion of the band after their first of many separations. Since then, the memories of the band have become more relevant than their subsequent compositional contributions. 

The Stray Cats did release a new album in 2019, 40, their first in a quarter century, but naturally it is the old hits that everybody most wants to hear. Witness “Sexy and Seventeen,” which they played at the show in Huber Heights. “Well, she’s sexy and 17, my little rock n’ roll queen / Acts a little bit obscene, gotta let off a little steam.” It sounds creepy to me, but the crowd in Ohio loved it. 

My favorite hit song of theirs is the timeless “Stray Cat Strut,” leaving out deep cuts that no one but me seems to remember. That song came out early in the performance and was enjoined to the predictable singalong. They played a number of cover songs to celebrate the genre, and the band left out no recognizable tunes from their catalog. 

Brian Setzer is a fantastic rockabilly guitarist. I saw him on his short solo tour last year, and his performance was exceptional. At the Rose Music Center, he matched that effort. Add in the bonus of Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker in the mix, and it was a night to remember. The tour is over now, so I hope you got to see it if you are a fan. I am sure they will be out again if ticket sales are up to scratch, so there is always hope that you will be able to see them in the future if they got past you this time. 

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY WAYNE EDWARDS
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