BRIAN SETZER STARTS A ROCKABILLY RIOT AT THE WILTERN IN LOS ANGELES

Brian Setzer took the LA stage on the third stop of his 2024 Rockabilly Riot! tour at The Wiltern to coincide with the release of his recent album ‘The Devil Always Collects’ from Surfdog Records.

If it was not a sold-out show it sure looked like it as it was the most packed crowd I’ve seen at The Wiltern to date. Couples, friends, people coming in solo. A wide range of fans came to the party—leather jackets and greaser haircuts and all. The coolest thing I saw regarding the fans was a group of Japanese fans showing up together in greaser attire, so happy to be there and see the Stray Cats frontman live. They were so much of an attraction that these fans were taking pictures with other fans.

A majority of the crowd were sitting in their chairs in the house including directly in front of the stage. I found out after the show that this was advertised as a seated show initially. The barrier that is usually used for the pit was removed for the night so I took my shots from the ADA ramp.

Brian entered the stage with guitar in hand then arms up in the air welcoming the LA fans as he kicked off the night with “Rock Boys Rock”. The backdrop on stage featured a cool devilish illustration that is featured in his advertisement for the tour and can be seen in some of the photos in this article. As I roamed around after my 3 song limit shoot, I could see people dancing and having a good time, even the security guards got in the groove.

The fans went wild naturally with the classics like “Stray Cats Strut” and “Rock This Town”. My favorite part of the night was an almost 20-minute solo performance of Brian with guitar in hand performing songs like “Georgia (On My Mind)” and “Sleepwalk”. I’m more of a loud and fast-paced guy when it comes to live music but this peaceful acoustic part of the show hit differently. It was one of the best shows I got to work with shooting-wise. Fantastic production, and an easygoing audience, and I was able to even edit my photos in less than an hour the same night.