Rockabilly legends The Stray Cats have just pulled the plug on their entire U.S. tour, leaving fans stunned and frontman Brian Setzer grappling with a debilitating illness, as Fox News reports.
The news, dropped on Tuesday via Instagram, centers on Setzer’s struggle with an autoimmune disease that’s sidelined his ability to shred a guitar, forcing the cancellation of a fall tour set to run from last weekend through November’s end.
Now, let’s roll back the tape on this 66-year-old icon who blasted onto the scene in the 1980s with The Stray Cats, reviving 1950s rockabilly for a new generation.
Back then, Setzer and his band were the rebels of retro, churning out hits before splitting in 1984, after which he carved a solo path and later formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra, a 17-piece big band in the 1990s.
Fast forward to recent years, and Setzer’s been a road warrior, touring regularly, including a string of shows last summer, while dropping his latest solo album, "The Devil Always Collects," in 2023.
But trouble brewed toward the close of the last Stray Cats tour, when Setzer noticed his hands locking up—a symptom he later tied to a newly diagnosed autoimmune condition.
“Towards the end of the last Stray Cats tour, I noticed that my hands were cramping up,” Setzer shared on social media. “I’ve since discovered that I have an autoimmune disease. I cannot play guitar.”
That’s a gut punch for any musician, let alone a legend whose fingers defined a genre, and it’s a stark reminder that even icons aren’t immune to life’s curveballs.
Setzer’s condition isn’t just a minor hiccup—it’s rewired his daily life, though he’s seen small victories like holding a pen or tying his shoes, tasks once impossible.
“There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play,” Setzer explained. Let’s be real—when a man who’s rocked stages for decades can’t grip a pick, that’s not just a personal loss; it’s a cultural one.
Thankfully, Setzer’s got top-tier support from the Mayo Clinic, which he’s grateful to have nearby, describing it as the best hospital in the world just down the block.
While progressive types might lecture us on systemic healthcare woes, let’s focus on what matters: a man fighting to reclaim his craft with the best resources at hand.
Fans, unsurprisingly, have flooded social media with support, proving that loyalty to real talent trumps today’s cancel-culture nonsense. One unnamed supporter wrote, “Your well-being is the most important thing!” And isn’t that a refreshing change from the usual online pile-ons?
Setzer himself is gutted, admitting he’s been pushing hard to make these shows happen but ultimately couldn’t, leaving him heartbroken for both his bandmates and the fans who’ve stuck by him.
In a world obsessed with tearing down legends over petty politics, here’s hoping Setzer beats this beast of a disease and gets back to doing what he does best—reminding us why authentic music still matters.
