INTERVIEW: Foreigner is back, and it feels like the first time
Photo: The band members of Foreigner are back and already have a busy 2022 planned. Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by official site.
Foreigner, one of the most successful classic rock bands in the world, took a break from touring during the COVID-19 pandemic, like many other live acts. But they returned to the road in the past few months, playing to thousands of rocking fans around the country, and 2022 is looking like a busy time as well. They have booked a short Canadian tour, plus a residency at the Venetian in Las Vegas. Their summer will be spent in Europe.
The band, known for such mega-hits as “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Hot Blooded” and “Feels Like the First Time,” are a bankable commodity at this point. The current lineup includes original guitarist Mick Jones, plus lead vocalist Kelly Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein, guitarist Bruce Watson, percussionist Chris Frazier and guitarist Luis Maldonado.
“It’s been great,” Bluestein said in a recent phone interview about being back on the road. “Everyone is raring to go. Everyone is ready for shows again. They were stuck at home for a while, and we feel the love the fans have now after being without live shows for so long. So, yeah, it’s pretty exciting. … When you get out there again, it’s a cliche, but it’s like getting on the bike again. Oh yeah, this is what we do. This is what we’ve been doing for so long, and it’s second nature at this point. It is great to be back.”
When Foreigner toured over the past few months, they had different images coming back to them while playing on stage. Some people were masked, while others were not. The band did ask the people in the first few rows to mask up because they were so close to the performers. “My personal feeling is that the vaccine has proven to be quite effective against guarding against bad reactions to the virus, so we all are traveling and vaccinated,” Bluestein said. “We have to be because we’re going through different states. We’re around so many people, so for us, we have to be vaccinated.”
Bluestein joined the band in 2008. He originally connected with the guys because of a mutual friend who made the introduction. He likes to say, it’s all about who you know in the industry, and 13 years ago, he had the right friends. When he signed that first contract, Bluestein was fulfilling a dream from his childhood. He started learning the piano when he was 9 years old, and he picked up the melodies quite quickly. His mother encouraged the music education, so he started to take lessons. Then, the music bug bit — and it bit hard.
“I was a kid in the ‘70s, so all of these [Foreigner] songs were in heavy rotation in the late-’70s and ‘80s,” he said. “So, yeah, definitely I knew all the tunes. I was a big fan of the music. … There are keyboard parts that require a little bit of technical prowess. It’s not Rachmaninoff or Liszt, but it does help to have some technique under your belt.”
That love of the Foreigner catalog is shared by the many fans who buy concert tickets. They come wanting to hear classics like “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold as Ice,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Urgent” and “Blue Morning, Blue Day.” The band members have so many recognizable tunes that they sometimes can’t fit them into one set list.
“The whole set is nothing but hits, nothing but big songs,” Bluestein said. “We have the enviable problem of not being able to fit in all the hits in one night, so it is a good position to be in. You look out, and everyone is singing along. Everyone knows all of it. That’s pretty cool to be a performer in that position.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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