Brian Setzer
Music News

Brian Setzer Orchestra Announces Dates For 16th Annual ‘Christmas Rocks! Tour’

Iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and three-time Grammy-Award winner BRIAN SETZER and his 19-piece ORCHESTRA will tour the country on their 16th annual “Christmas Rocks! Tour,” presented for the fifth consecutive year by SiriusXM. The over 20-city annual and critically acclaimed holiday extravaganza will launch November 15 at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN (full itinerary below). Tickets in participating markets will go sale Friday, July 26 at 10:00 AM (local time), pre-sales are as follows:

  • Fan club presale: Tuesday, July 23 at 10:00 AM (local time)-Thursday, July 25 at 10:00 PM (local). Be the first to get tickets by signing up for Brian’s fan club here.
  • SiriusXM Presale: Tuesday, July 23 at 10:00 AM (local time)-Thursday, July 25 at 10:00 PM (local).
  • Local Presale: Wednesday, July 24 at 10:00 AM (local time)-Thursday, July 25 at 10:00 PM (local).

“People tell me all the time what joy I bring them over the holidays,” says BRIAN SETZER. “I don’t take this for granted. People don’t say something like that unless they mean it. When we get a standing ovation at the end of the Christmas show, it means something just a little extra.”

THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA’s set list will feature music from the group’s three Christmas albums, BOOGIE WOOGIE CHRISTMAS, DIG THAT CRAZY CHRISTMAS and ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH, as well as original material that spans his 40-year career. SETZER’s trademark guitar work and vocal stylings will be matched with his 19-piece orchestra’s rockin’ big-band horn arrangements, making for a reliably unbeatable combination.

BRIAN SETZER’s legendary career has led him through four critically acclaimed and successful phases from the Stray Cats, to solo albums, the Rockabilly Riot and The Brian Setzer Orchestra. The Brian Setzer Orchestra show seamlessly encompasses music from all these phases. He is a 3-time Grammy Award-winner, and in 2014, SETZER received the distinct honor of being asked by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to donate a replica of his original 1959 Gretsch 6120 “Stray Cat” guitar, joining an elite collection of iconic treasures at the museum.

“The music I play in the big band is rock n’ roll with a jazz influence,” says SETZER. “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 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 four years (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018), THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA has had a strong presence across SiriusXM channels during the holidays and has partnered with the audio entertainment company for subscriber-only concerts in New York City and Los Angeles, which have aired on SiriusXM’sOutlaw Country and Holly channels. This tradition will continue this year.

Catch BSO’s 16th Annual “Christmas Rocks! Tour” in the following cities, with additional dates to be announced soon.

DATE LOCATION VENUE
FRI 11/15 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
SAT 11/16 Chicago, IL The Chicago Theatre
SUN 11/17 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
TUE 11/19 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Center For The Arts
WED 11/20 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center
THU 11/21 Springfield, MA Symphony Hall
*SAT 11/23 Lynchburg, VA Academy Center of the Arts
SUN 11/24 Westbury, NY Theatre at Westbury
WED 11/27 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
FRI 11/29 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
SAT 11/30 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
MON 12/2 Nashville, TN The Ryman
TUE 12/3 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
WED 12/4 Augusta, GA Miller Theatre
FRI 12/6 Biloxi, MS Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
TUE 12/10 Salt Lake City, UT Eccles Theatre
THU 12/12 Ridgefield, WA Ilani Casino
FRI 12/13 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
SAT 12/14 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
MON 12/16 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
TUE 12/17 Stockton, CA Bob Hope Theatre
*THU 12/19 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
FRI 12/20 Palm Desert, CA McCallum Theatre

* = on sale at a later date

Visit www.briansetzer.com for more information and to purchase tickets.