Ontario will get a little extra dose of Foreigner over the next few weeks when the legendary classic rock band plays several shows in Canada’s most populous province as it wraps up it’s 40th anniversary tour that began early in 2017.
The first date north of the border is March 4 at Centre in the Square in Kitchener before the band dips back down into the U.S., returning March 22 for a show at The Sony Centre in Toronto, followed the next night by an appearance at the TD Centre in Ottawa, then playing March 24 at the K-Rock Centre in Kingston. The band then plays a number of dates back in the U.S. before a jaunt over to Europe and the Middle East.
The current incarnation of Foreigner is comprised of founder/guitarist/songwriter Mick Jones, alongside vocalist Kelly Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson (also known for his work with Dokken and Dio), guitarist Bruce Watson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein, drummer Chris Frazier, and saxophone maestro Tom Gimbel, plays upwards of 110 shows a year around the world, and according to Gimbel, enjoys getting a chance to play in smaller centres such as Kingston and Kitchener.
“We love it. We’re happy to take this kind of show to places that might not get that many of these big traditional rock shows. We go to a lot of places where people say, ‘wow, we haven’t seen a real live rock band for a long time.’ So we’re delighted to go to maybe a little more out of the way places. We like that because it means we’re not ever in danger of burning out one territory too long. In the summer we usually to the big package tours in the big venues and the larger centres, but other times of the year we’re happy to go anywhere they want us. It doesn’t matter, we just want to rock out for people,” said Gimbel, who is the second-longest serving member of the band after Jones, joining in 1992.
It is quite remarkable that Foreigner is able not only holding onto its fan base but continues to break into new territories and bring along younger and younger fans to their shows. Although the band has only released one album of new material since reforming in 2004 after a short hiatus, their music continues to be a soundtrack to the lives of two and sometimes three generations of rock fans.
With songs such as Jukebox Hero, Urgent, Feels Like the First Time, I Want to Know What Love Is, Hot Blooded, Cold as Ice and Head Games still played frequently on the radio, and with a reputation for one of the most engaging and energetic live shows on the circuit, Foreigner is a guaranteed good time and a live experience that is memorable, evocative and loads of fun.
And it all starts with Foreigner founder Mick Jones.
Gimbel truly considers Jones to be not just the captain of the Foreigner vessel, but also its spiritual compass and its driving emotional and musical force, even when illness kept him off the road at times over the past few years. Jones’ imprint on the band is unmistakable and infuses every aspect of Foreigner’s operations onstage and off.
“I always say we’re propelled by Mick’s music, by his creations. And he created the band, so it does feel like a self-propelled music machine and it’s just going to keep going and going. There’s this amazing momentum, and a lot of it is from the music and Mick’s vision for the band. This music stands up so well. Each year that goes by the music is sounding better and better, our audience is growing and getting bigger and bigger. I don’t think there is any end in sight, and that’s the way we like it,” he said, also crediting his bandmates for their passion for the music and the effort they give each night.
“We feel really grateful to be able to go out more than 100 times a year and play this incredible music. And with Kelly Hansen at the helm singing these songs and the kind of energy that Jeff Pilson brings, and the dedication of each member of this band, we try to perform at a high level every show. Consistency – that’s our goal. We’re always trying to raise the bar on ourselves. It’s a healthy obsession in a way, they way we try to top each other, and hopefully it continues to work with Mick’s vision. And we always have him there, keeping an eye on us if we get too far off; he snaps us back on the grid.
“And remember, I have been doing it with Mick for nearly 25 years, Kelly and Jeff now for more than 13 years, and that’s a real relationship and association with the music and its creator. It’s not like it’s a bunch of guys who got together and said, ‘hey let’s do the songs from this band.’ Mick really brought us in and made us part of this band. And it just happened naturally. People have always accepted Kelly as the singer for Foreigner because he is so good, and he is so phenomenal as an entertainer that you just love him. And Mick made music that is so melodic and so memorable and everyone can sing it. People love this band for the sake of the songs – that’s what means so much to people. It’s the lyrics and melodies, the rhythms and chords that mean so much. It’s a different kind of band. It’s not totally married to any individual component – it’s about the songs.”
After their spring run, Foreigner will take a very short break before the big summer touring season begins. This year, they will hit the road on the Juke Box Heroes Tour, with special guests Whitesnake and Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening. Package tours have become more commonplace, usually with bands of similar vintages going out across North America and Europe, something that Gimbel said he and his bandmates really enjoy.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie between the bands on those package tours. We’re all automatically on the same page. We all love music so much and never really had the chance to do anything else. It’s just taken over our lives, probably from a young age. Most of the guys that are touring at this level, that’s their story. We’re all brothers in arms at this point in our careers,” he said.
“It’s a small world on this rock scene. Jason Bonham was in this band at one time [2004-2008], so there are always a lot of stories being told. We toured with Cheap Trick a lot and Mick Jones, Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen would start telling stories about yesteryear and it was incredible. They all have such amazing stories. And we’ve become friends with so many of these bands a long the way. Styx are our friends, so is REO Speedwagon. Def Leppard are the nicest guys you’d ever want to tour with, especially Rick Allen. They are just so cool. It’s amazing how cool those guys are. So, we get an extra kick out of being on a package tour, and that just makes it even more fun than it already is.”
Having toured relentlessly since the band reformed there aren’t many things on the Foreigner ‘bucket list’ in terms of places they’d like to play, according to Gimbel.
“I am not sure there’s anything that we’re kind of wishing to play. Our wish is that where we do play that people are in to it. And that can be anywhere. Red Rocks is one place that’s just phenomenal, Tel Aviv, Russia – every place we play is just incredible. And that’s the kick for us, seeing the reaction of the people. So it almost doesn’t matter where, we are delighted to be wherever there is an audience that wants to get involved. Mick wants everybody to get involved and dance and scream and sing along, wave their hands, whistle, swear – do anything you want,” he said.
“That’s freedom, that’s the power of music and that’s what we’re trying to offer for a couple of hours, just the freedom to let loose. When you go some place like Moscow, the looks on the faces of the people is something special, it’s like they’re saying, ‘you’re telling us to be free and we can sing and dance?’ And once that message gets across you can see this lightening on the looks on their faces and their whole body language changes. It was almost tearful for me.”
And, again, even though the band has played so many shows over the last decade or more, playing some songs every single night, the band members manage to keep it fresh, not only for the audience but for themselves.
“Every night is a clean slate, it really is. It’s like sports, after the game is over it’s like, okay on to the next game. That’s all you’re concentrating on. Every venue is going to be a little bit different and we’re all obsessed with being 100 per cent band on every show. I always hope to get that 99 out of 100 times but for the one that’s not perfect, it really does put me on alert. Everyone in this band is kind of a perfectionist in their own way; we all definitely aspire to greatness in our own performances, which means a killer show for the audience,” Gimbel said, as he talked about how a band as talented and experienced as Foreigner is able to be both ‘tight’ and ‘loose’ at the same time.
“There are two things that are happening simultaneously there. The tightness is usually subconscious. Like people who have been doing this for years, my ears and my hands respond to what the drummer is doing quicker than my brain. I can’t consciously follow him, but my hands will and that’s because I have been playing sax since I was 12 and have always followed the drummer. And then the looseness factor is your state of mind on top of that, and that’s when you get into what are you feeling. It’s got to be tight but what kind of feel, what kind of vibe and emotion is going to be surrounding that tightness – those are the two elements that contribute to being in the zone as a musician. And when everybody on stage is in that zone, it’s pretty amazing.”
For more information on upcoming tour dates for both the winter and summer Foreigner tours, visit www.foreigneronline.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
