Brian Setzer - Las Vegas

Age Requirement: 
18+

Brian Setzer is credited with single-handedly resurrecting two forgotten genres of music (rockabilly in the '80s and swing in the '90s), returns with his 18-piece rockin' big band for a Christmas show that's unforgettable. Given the fact that Setzer got his start in the 1980s recreating the old rockabilly sound and spirit with the Stray Cats, it is not surprising that his Brian Setzer Band recreates another lost art form -- traditional big band music -- but with a strong rock 'n' roll element that adds energy and originality.

The band features five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, a piano, bass and drums -- all manned by experienced jazz musicians -- plus Setzer on guitar and vocals. Their critically praised 1994 self-titled debut, which consisted mostly of covers, was supported by a 50-show North American tour that included a spot at the 1995 Montreal Jazz Festival. By the time their 1996 follow-up, Guitar Slinger, appeared, however, swing music was undergoing a revival, and Interscope Records -- the group's new label -- skillfully marketed them as a Louis Jordan-style "jump blues" act rather than as a rock-infused big band. Their 1998 Dirty Boogie album tempers swing and jump blues with old-fashioned rock 'n' roll ala Elvis Presley (as exemplified in "You're the Boss," an Elvis-Ann Margaret hit Setzer recreated with Gwen Stefani of No Doubt).