Brian Setzer Orch. Sets 15th Anniv. Christmas Dates

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(Photo: Greg Hild; used with permission)

Guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner Brian Setzer and his 19-piece orchestra have announced the details for their 15th anniversary Christmas Rocks! Tour,” presented for the fourth consecutive year by SiriusXM. Hitting 25 cities, the annual holiday extravaganza will launch Nov. 16 at the State Theatre in Setzer’s adopted hometown of Minneapolis and wrap Dec. 22 in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater (full itinerary below).

Supporting the tour will be Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones. Tickets will be available here.

The group’s set list will feature music off their latest Christmas album Rockin’ Rudolph (available now as a limited-edition box set, CD, vinyl or download), plus music off their three previous holiday albums and original material from Setzer. Setzer’s trademark guitar work and vocal stylings will be matched with his 19-piece orchestra’s big-band horn arrangements.

View the Christmas sizzle reel here.

Setzer has had four phases of his career from the Stray Cats, to solo albums, the Rockabilly Riot and BSO. The Brian Setzer Orchestra show encompasses music from all these phases. “The music I play in the big band is rock ’n’ roll with a jazz influence,” says Setzer in a press release. “What keeps it fresh is the quality of the players in the band. Also, a big part of keeping the big band fresh is the arrangements; writing the arrangement for 18-19 people is like writing a song within a song. It makes the song you might have heard many times sound new again.”

For the past three years (2015, 2016 and 2017), the Brian Setzer Orchestra has had a strong presence on SiriusXM during the holidays. They’ve performed exclusive invitation-only concerts for SiriusXM listeners in New York City and Los Angeles that aired on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country and Holly channels, a tradition that will continue this year (date and location TBA).

Tour Dates

Nov 16 – State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
Nov 17 – Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI
Nov 18 – Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
Nov 20 – Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH
Nov 21 – Hard Rock Live, Northfield, OH
Nov 23 – Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, CT
Nov 24 – Academy Of Music, Philadelphia, PA
Nov 25 – Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ
Nov 27 – NYCB Theatre At Westbury, Westbury, NY
Nov 28 – Bergen Pac, Englewood, NJ
Nov 30 – The Anthem, Washington, DC
Dec 01 – Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC
Dec 02 – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Dec 05 – Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, FL
Dec 07 – Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
Dec 08 – BJCC Concert Hall, Birmingham, AL
Dec 10 – Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, TX
Dec 12 – Jones Hall, Houston, TX
Dec 13 – Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center, Midland, TX
Dec 15 – Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
Dec 17 – Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO
Dec 18 – Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 20 – Gallo Center For The Arts, Modesto, CA
Dec 21 – Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, CA
Dec 22 – Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, CA