The Stray Cats — original members Slim Jim Phantom, Lee Rocker and Brian Setzer — are hitting the road this fall for a monthlong tour that includes a show at Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair on Nov. 5.
The tour will mark the first time Massapequa-raised frontman Setzer has played in public since announcing in February he could not play guitar due to an autoimmune disease affecting his hands,
“There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play,” he wrote on social media at the time. I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that. Luckily, I have the best hospital in the world down the block from me. It’s called the Mayo Clinic. I know I will beat this, it will just take some time.”
Setzer presumably has recovered and is ready for the tour, which starts on Oct. 25 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Setzer, 66, formed the band in 1979 with two fellow Massapequans, double bassist Rocker and drummer Phantom. The rockabilly revivalist group scored a string of hits, including “Stray Cat Strut,” “(She’s) Sexy + 17” and “Rock This Town.”
General-public tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
Andy Edelstein, Newsday’s entertainment editor, supervises coverage of TV, celebrities, movies and pop music. He has written three books on popular culture, including “The Brady Bunch Book.”