PHOTOS: Foreigner are ‘Jukebox Heroes’ at PNC Bank Arts Center in NJ
Photo: Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hansen rocks out at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Photo by John Soltes.
HOLMDEL, N.J. — Foreigner continue to grow in popularity with each passing year. Their memorable rock songs still hold up in 2018, and the band members put them on high-energy display Saturday, June 30 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in New Jersey. Fronted by vocalist Kelly Hansen and original member Mick Jones, Foreigner kept the thousands in attendance on their feet for 80 minutes.
Fans were treated to a setlist that relied heavily on the hits, i.e. this event was a celebration rather than an avenue to test out new material. They opened with “Long, Long Way From Home” and continued, almost without taking a breath, with such classics as “Double Vision,” “Head Games” and “Cold as Ice.”
Hansen bounced across the stage — and sometimes the audience — instigating the thousands to join him with his dance moves, singalongs and fists to the sky. There wasn’t a missed beat or dropped lyric; Hansen, who has been with Foreigner for more than a decade, is a bonafide rockstar.
Jones enjoyed a more subdued, but no less effective, role during the night. He also took care of vocals on the throwback “Starrider,” a welcome surprise. The rest of the band, including Jeff Pilson (guitar), Mike Bluestein (keyboards), Bruce Watson (guitar), Chris Frazier (drums) and Tom Gimbel (guitar, saxophone and flute) were awesomely complementary to the full-throttle set list. Check out Hollywood Soapbox’s recent interview with Gimbel.
Other gems throughout the night: “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Urgent” and “Jukebox Heroes,” a song that gives this 2018 summer tour its name. The double encore consisted of a local chorus helping out on “I Want to Know What Love Is” and a sendoff of “Hot Blooded.”
Foreigner are touring the United States this summer with Whitesnake (awesome and hard rocking as usual) and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening (full-force fun despite the blazing sun at 7 p.m.). More on these two bands to follow.
Check out Foreigner this summer. It will have you seeing double vision over their continued mastery of the rock form.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
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