Photos by John Lindsey
Foreigner, the classic rock band, kept the stage lights pulsating and the volume all the way up to “11” throughout a high-powered, 13-song set at Vina Robles on July 18.
Actually, it’s probably more accurate to call this group “Foreigner 2.0,” or “Foreigner: The Next Generation,” since none of the six musicians on stage were part of the original group formed in 1976 by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones.
Yet, it would be unfair to dismiss this as simply another “tribute band” show. Current lead singer Kelly Hansen has been behind the microphone for 20 years. Guitarist Jeff Pilson dates back even longer.
All the musicians were recruited by Jones to keep the music and memories alive, and the largely Baby Boomer audience at Vina Robles roared their appreciation throughout the 92-minute performance.
Yes, short concert. 13 songs. 92 minutes. Both an extended drum and keyboard solo. The flip side is that this Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band has plenty of hits, and that’s all they played. No deep cuts. The crowd knew every song.
Starting a minute early at 7:59 (Urgent?), Foreigner quickly got down to work, serving up “Double Vision,” “Head Games,” and “Cold as Ice” back-to back. Lead singer Hansen, making his personal farewell tour, joyfully pranced all over the stage in yellow leggings seemingly borrowed from Rod Stewart.
Hansen is blessed with a powerful voice and a clear passion for music. At times, he seemed almost like a televangelist in urging the audience to participate and heaping effusive praise on his bandmates.
More hits followed: “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Feels Like the First Time,” and “Urgent” before the band left the stage for the obligatory, instantly forgettable, drum and keyboard solos by Chris Frazier and Paul Mirkovich respectively. A spirited rendition of “Juke Box Hero” closed the main part of the show at around 9:10 p.m.
Three encores followed: “Long, Long Way from Home,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and the capper, “Hot Blooded.”
About 20 student members of the Paso Robles High School choir were ushered on stage to perform the chorus on “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Hansen probably got the biggest applause of the evening by thanking the students afterwards and stressing the importance of supporting the arts in our schools. Amen.
Foreigner falls into my musical “one and done” category, along with Chicago (sorry, Jack O’Connell), America, Sarah McLachlan, and The Doobie Brothers. I’ve seen them all each one time, enjoyed every performance, but have no desire to repeat the experience, particularly not at the current level of ticket pricing.
A few more band standards like “Say You Will” and “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” could have easily lengthened the set. And it’s a bit surprising that there was no acknowledgement onstage of co-founders Jones and Gramm, who basically wrote all the classic songs being performed.
But the hardcore fans seemed impressed, judging by the gushing comments I heard heading out the exit into the parking area, better known as the Vina Robles nightmare. Forty-five minutes just to leave the parking area. Another 45 minutes to reach San Luis Obispo in the heavy concert traffic.
Hansen bows out at the end of the current national tour and guitarist Luis Maldonado moves up to the lead vocalist spot. The band continues. The music lives on. Get ready for “Foreigner 3.0.”