Skip to content

Foreigner brings 40 years of music to Red Deer fans

The old school rock group performs Oct. 13 at Centrium
8709012_web1_Foreigner-group-phtoto-2014
(Contributed photo).

Foreigner has been touring the world for 40 years — or pretty much forever, in music industry terms.

Since the rock band was formed in New York City in 1977, group members have seen an endless array of changes — first vinyl records gave way to compact discs. Now vinyls are being resurrected and are eating into CD sales — while both are being eclipsed by digital music downloads.

“It’s not about selling pieces of circular plastic anymore,” observed Kelly Hansen, the band’s frontman since 2005.

“It used to be that we would spend most of the year in studio, recording our next album and then go on a three month tour…” But since live shows have become more lucrative than album sales, he added, “now we spend most of the year touring” — so it’s good that he and the other musicians are energized by seeing fans, young and old, in arenas around the globe.

Hansen said, “We’re always aware of how fortunate we are to do what we do, when a lot of people don’t get to fulfill their dreams.”

Guitarist and co-founder Mick Jones is the only original member still touring with Foreigner. Original vocalist Lou Gramm, who performs as a solo artist, has joined up for some special reunion concerts this year. But, despite a turnover in musicians, the group is still going strong with more than 80 million records sales world-wide.

On Oct. 13, Foreigner will play Red Deer’s Centrium. And Hansen promises that fans will hear their favourite hits — such as I Want to Know What Love Is, Waiting for a Girl Like You, Urgent, Break It Up, Say You Will, Midnight Blue — as well some newer tunes.

“There will be stuff from 1977 up to now, as well as into the future with new material we’re working on.”

Although there have been great innovations in studio recording equipment, Foreigner is still making albums the old-school way — with musicians playing their instruments in studio. Hansen doesn’t like certain trends — such cobbling together songs out of synthesized “bits and pieces.”

He also doesn’t care for hip-hop artists taking familiar riffs from pop or rock standards, then building their own tunes around them. Sure, Elton John, or whoever’s melody was ‘borrowed,’ will be cut a cheque. But Hansen believes there isn’t the same artistry involved as coming up with an original song, “out of the ether.”

“I do feel something is lost,” said the singer, who admitted he has to stop himself from thinking like a codger.

“When the Beatles sang ‘Ya, ya, ya,’ I know that a lot of people at the time said, ‘That’s not a song!’ … I understand that it’s a different world today,” but he believes having the ability to create music “out of the air” remains special.

While all the musicians in the band collaborate on new material, they realize most fans come to hear the songs they grew up with. Hansen attributes the lasting popularity of these old tunes to the strength of the original songwriting and arrangements — and the fact that pop culture is now introducing 1970s and ’80s music to a whole new generation.

“We hear a lot of stories from fans, some positive and some sad, about how this music has affected their lives. It’s amazing how a simple song can be applicable to so many different situations.”

Tickets to the show are available from ticketsalberta.com.



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter