By LoffMusic Editorial Staff – July 2025
Rockabilly never dies. The Stray Cats, the legendary trio that brought back the swing and rebellious aesthetics of the 50’s to the 80’s and beyond, announces their first U.S. tour since Brian Setzer’s diagnosis of autoimmune disease . The tour, which kicks off on October 25 in Michigan, promises to be a return full of excitement, fast riffs and leather jackets that defy the passage of time.
🎸 Setzer, the return of an alley cat
In February of this year, Brian Setzer surprised his fans with disturbing news: an autoimmune disease was affecting his ability to play guitar. “There’s no pain, but it’s like I’m wearing gloves when I try to play,” he confessed. What seemed like an indefinite hiatus has turned, against all odds, into an artistic resurrection.
A month later, the guitarist announced improvements in his condition: “I’m getting better every day,” he wrote at the time. As promised, The Stray Cats will return to the stage this fall with a 20-date U.S. tour with original bandmates Lee Rocker (double bass) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums).
🗓 Key dates and entries
The tour kicks off October 25 in Mount Pleasant (MI) and will travel to cities such as Indianapolis, Kansas City, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Santa Rosa. Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 1 through Ticketmaster, with fan and Live Nation presales available beginning Tuesday, August 29.
The repertoire will include classics such as “Stray Cat Strut”, “Rock This Town” or “Runaway Boys”, songs that not only marked an era, but also inspired entire generations of rock and roll and swing revivalists.
🕶️ Beyond revival
The Stray Cats are not just a nostalgic phenomenon. With their fitted suits, impossible hairstyles and their fusion of punk, jazz, blues and country, they put rockabilly back on the map when no one expected it. They were the punks who broke into the swing clubs, the outsiders who spoke of love, speed and neon nights as if Elvis still ruled the radios.
And now, when many thought all was said and done, the three alley cats are roaring back. Not as legends anchored in the past, but as survivors who still have something to say – and a stage to conquer.
