When pop, rock and the surrounding culture of MTV were at their most excessive in the front half of the 1980s, the Stray Cats were downright revolutionary for going the opposite route and sending retro rockabilly-inspired romps straight up the charts.

The pompadour and tattoo-sporting fellas even became just as unlikely fashion trendsetters, which alongside nine proper projects, have since stood the test of time, as evidenced by another full house at the Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana for an area exclusive reunion of guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom.

Although they technically got back together for 2019’s “40” album following a 26-year recording break, this year marks the group’s 45th birthday and a chance to look back on their own “Too Hip, Gotta Go,” “Runaway Boys,” “Three Times A Charm” and “Stray Cat Strut.”

The trio also made sure to salute its many muses, including Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps’ “Double Talkin’ Baby,” Johnny Burnette’s “Sweet Love On My Mind,” Tiny Bradshaw’s “The Train Kept A-Rollin’,” plus a pioneering pair from Eddie Cochran (“Twenty Flight Rock,” “Summertime Blues”).

Rocker inserted his like-minded solo “Miracle In Memphis” in between, though surprisingly, Setzer left out his individual work, which meant nothing from the immensely admired Orchestra.

Nonetheless, there were several major collective moments to come, such as the swinger “(She’s) Sexy + 17,” the bounce of “Blast Off,” the reverent “Rockabilly Rules” and the steamy “Fishnet Stockings.”

Of course, “Rock This Town” was saved until almost the end and it remains an uptempo anthem like no other that truly transcends generations and could easily immortalize the Stray Cats entirely on its own.

Yet an encore proved they were still “Built For Speed” and could emerge victorious from the fiercest “Rumble In Brighton,” while the Hard Rock wound up being the ultimate winner for being able to witness and savor the relatively rare occurrence.

For additional information on Stray Cats, visit StrayCats.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include Sublime With Rome (Aug. 17); Michael Blaustein (Aug. 23); Sam Hunt (Aug. 24); ESPN Football Fest (Aug. 25); Invincible: A Tribute To Michael Jackson (Aug. 31); Iliza Shlesinger (Sept. 5); Brad Paisley (Sept. 6); Rickey Smiley (Sept. 14), Tesla (Sept. 20); Priscilla Presley (Sept. 21); Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening (Oct. 4); Babyface (Oct. 5); The Black Crowes (Oct. 18); Theory Of A Deadman (Oct. 26); Brett Young (Nov. 1) and Aaron Lewis (Nov. 22-23). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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