OK. I admit it. I did get a little giddy when I heard that Foreigner would be playing the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in October. Who wouldn't get excited about listening to Lou
Gramm belting out Foreigner classics like "Feels Like the First Time", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded" and "Double Vision"? But If you've kept up with Audio Floss since the beginning of my tenure, you know I occasionally get on the LMA for booking an inordinate amount of tribute bands. Sadly, the Foreigner that hits the Auditorium might as well be a tribute band. Sure, chief architect of the Foreigner sound, guitarist Mick Jones, will be strutting his stuff as the band grinds through all the classics, and with a new album coming out soon, the band should be more than ready to take the stage. But except for Mick, noone else from the original line up will be showing up for this gig. And that includes the most vital part of the Foreigner sound: vocalist Lou Gramm.
On a side note, Gramm continues to get his strength back after surgery to remove a benign brain tumor set him back for a few years and credits the Drs at Brigham and Women's in Boston for his speedy recovery. He's currently touring the US as the Lou Gramm Band which features brothers Richard on bass and Ben on drums. And like Foreigner, the LGB is playing all the hits too. Seems like Mick and Lou have everyone seeing double.
How could I forget? Wish Gramm and Jones could work things out. I'd be screaming the words to every song from the LMA balcony.
You forgot "Jukebox Hero" with the best build up in 80s rock... "Standing in the rain, with his head hung low, thought he'd cast his own shadow by the backstage door ..."