Music lovers who came to the legendary Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA on Friday night (Feb. 11, 2022) were treated to an outstanding set from headliner Lee Rocker. Rocker achieved international fame as a founding member of The Stray Cats at the dawn of the 1980s, and has since continued to champion rockabilly and roots rock performing on stage or in the studio alongside a wide range of legendary artists including Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Willie Nelson, John Fogerty and the late Carl Perkins.

At The Coach House, Rocker was backed by his terrific trio featuring Buzz Campbell (guitar, banjo), Larry Mitchell (drums) and Matthew Jordan (keyboards) for an exhilarating 85-minute set. The troupe delivered a stellar showcase featuring plenty of Stray Cats favorites and energetic covers as well as highlights from Rocker's rich solo career and a gem from his stint from Phantom, Rocker & Slick (a project that featured Rocker, Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom and guitar virtuoso Earl Slick).

Rocker recently released his highly-anticipated album "Gather Round" and standouts from that disc were featured at the concert. The quartet opened with an extended version of "Stray Cat Strut," reworked from the oft-heard Stray Cats hit into a stylish romp where Rocker, Jordan and Campbell were each able to display their masterful chops. The fiery "Runaway Boys" followed, fully rekindling the rockabilly revival that Rocker, Phantom and Brian Setzer created four decades ago.

There was a joyful spirit throughout Rocker's 20-song set. After performing a spirited version of the title tracks from the Cats' 1982 "Built For Speed" and "Gather Round," he brought his son Justin Drucker to the stage and turned back the clock to deliver more stripped down material including a buoyant medley of Elvis Presley's "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky," an animated take on Perkins' "Honey Don't" and tender reading of Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans" – the latter bolstered by Jordan's accordion playing. He also performed an acoustic version of "The Last Offline Lovers," a song written for his wife Deborah Drucker (they celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary on the day of the concert).

Rocker then picked up the tempo for the speedy rocker "When Nothing's Going Right" (a song from the Cats' recent reunion disc "40") and retro-styled "Men Without Shame"; other late set highlights included the Louisiana-mining "Graceland Auctions" and '50s sounding ballad "I Won't Stand In Your Way." The night ended with four standouts. The blistering "Bulletproof" (the title track off his 2003 album), soaring "Rumble in Brighton," aptly-pegged "Rock This Town" and zestful closer "Rockabilly Boogie" made for the perfect parade of cuts to close out a wonderful night. For more information on Lee Rocker, visit www.leerocker.com.

Photography courtesy of Bob Steshetz