THE STRAY CATS to Perform on Tonight Show Aug. 18, Fall Tour Starts Nov. 9
Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom last appeared on late night television in 1990.
THE STRAY CATS will make their first live late-night television appearance in more than 35 years when the band performs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 18. The appearance, featuring original members Brian Setzer on guitar and vocals, Lee Rocker on upright bass and vocals, and Slim Jim Phantom on drums and vocals, closes out the summer leg of the band's 2026 tour. The group's last late-night television performance came in 1990 on The Late Show with David Letterman. THE STRAY CATS are set to return to the road for a month of fall dates beginning November 9 in Grand Prairie, TX, with stops including Nashville, Charlotte, Orlando and Atlanta before the tour concludes December 6 at Foxwoods in Connecticut. Setlists are expected to draw from the band's catalog of hits including 'Stray Cat Strut,' 'Rock This Town,' 'Runaway Boys' and '(She's) Sexy + 17.'
Tour Dates
Friday, August 14 — Westbury, NY — Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair
Saturday, August 15 — Atlantic City, NJ — Ocean Casino Resort
Sunday, August 16 — Morristown, NJ — Mayo Performing Arts Center
Monday, November 9 — Grand Prairie, TX — Texas Trust CU Theatre
Tuesday, November 10 — San Antonio, TX — Majestic Theatre
Thursday, November 12 — Sugar Land, TX — Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Friday, November 13 — Biloxi, MS — Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
Sunday, November 15 — Memphis, TN — Orpheum Theatre
Tuesday, November 17 — Louisville, KY — The Louisville Palace
Wednesday, November 18 — Nashville, TN — Ryman Auditorium
Friday, November 20 — Charlotte, NC — Ovens Auditorium
Saturday, November 21 — Danville, VA — Caesars Virginia
Monday, November 23 — Orlando, FL — Hard Rock Live Orlando
Tuesday, November 24 — Clearwater, FL — Ruth Eckerd Hall
Wednesday, November 25 — Jacksonville, FL — Florida Theatre
Friday, November 27 — Atlanta, GA — Fox Theatre
Saturday, November 28 — Cherokee, NC — Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort
Sunday, November 29 — Virginia Beach, VA — The Dome by Rutter Mills
Tuesday, December 1 — Red Bank, NJ — Count Basie Center for the Arts
Wednesday, December 2 — Greensburg, PA — The Palace Theatre
Friday, December 4 — Bethlehem, PA — The Wind Creek Event Center
Sunday, December 6 — Mashantucket, CT — Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
About THE STRAY CATS
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.'
THE STRAY CATS previously released 'Stampede' and a cover of Eddie Cochran's 'Teenage Heaven' via Surfdog Records, marking their first new music in six years. Additional details on the band's ongoing 2026 tour schedule, including the previously announced summer leg, have been covered in prior BroadwayWorld reporting.
Photo Credit: Suzie Kaplan
Photo Credit: Suzie Kaplan
