MINNEAPOLIS—Iconic 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 Minneapolis at the historic State Theatre (805 Hennepin Ave.) on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. in his adopted hometown of Minneapolis and wrap Dec. 22 in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater. Supporting the tour will be Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 20 at 10 a.m. at the State Theatre Box Office (805 Hennepin Ave.), charge-by-phone at (800) 982-2787 and online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

DAY DATE TIME VENUE TICKET PRICES*
Friday Nov. 16 8 p.m. State Theatre $53.50, $63.50, $89

“People tell me all the time what joy I bring them over the holidays,” says 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.” See full Q&A below.

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 best-selling holiday albums and original material from Brian Setzer. 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. View the Christmas sizzle reel here: https://youtu.be/6NXEa29BMqk

Setzer belongs to an elite group of artists who has had four super successful phases of his career from the Stray Cats, to solo albums, the Rockabilly Riot and BSO. The BSO show seamlessly encompasses music from all these phases. “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 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, 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 which aired on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country and Holly channels, a tradition that will continue this year (date and location TBA).

Connect with Brian Setzer online at:
www.BrianSetzer.com
Facebook: /briansetzerofficial
Twitter: @briansetzer59
YouTube: briansetzerofficial
Surfdog Records: brian-setzer

ABOUT BRIAN SETZER:
Iconic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist and 3-time Grammy-award-winner Brian Setzer is a "Musician's Musician" credited with continually taking chances with innovative and daring musical styles. Setzer is widely credited for taking two forgotten genres, rockabilly and swing, adding his own blend of gunpowder and rockin style, and completely reinventing and single-handedly resurrecting them in the process. Along the way, he has scored chart-topping hits, sold 13 million records and received the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award throughout his decorated career as founder/leader of the Stray Cats, his 19-piece Brian Setzer Orchestra, and as a solo artist. He is consistently cited as one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, and has a best-selling, extensive line of elite Gretsch signature model guitars bearing his name. Brian appeared in the 1987 film, “La Bamba,” portraying rockabilly pioneer Eddie Cochran. In 2002, BRIAN earned the privilege of being one of the few musicians to be animated in an episode of “The Simpsons.” That same year, Setzer was personally requested to induct Chet Atkins into the 17th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Setzer had the honor of being invited in 2006 to perform at the White House for the President of the United States. 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.

Hennepin Theatre Trust is a nonprofit organization that creates positive change through the arts. We serve the community through our three historic theatres – the Orpheum, State and Pantages – and our unique arts, culture and education programs. Learn more at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.