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"Foreigner at the MPAC: Definitive 'classic rock'": This week's newspaper column


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Foreigner at the MPAC: Definitive “classic rock”

Almost three years ago, this space discussed the, er, concept of “arena rock” bands, but here’s a quick refresher course: Decades ago, many music critics would sarcastically pronounce Styx, REO Speedwagon, Journey, and Foreigner to be the “Big Four” of that category, which intimated that those bands didn’t particularly have any innovative music or style.

But since the designation itself indicated the size of the venues such aggregations were playing back then, such scorn was self-defeating, since those bands were mega-successful.

And as of 2017, all four bands—all of which have experienced turnover in personnel, of course—still  perform regularly, purveying their hits from the Seventies to enthusiastic audiences, most of whom first heard such music in the same decade.

Stereotypically, a lot of classic rock groups perform at weekend festivals, casinos, or during summer tours featuring two or three bands. They may not be filling up arenas anymore, but they’re still viable, to the delight of their longtime fans.

And Foreigner played the Montgomery Performing Arts Center a week and a half ago, exemplifying how and why such aggregations can put on a slam-bang show.

A smaller indoor performing arts center (P.A.C.) is going to limit how “light show” effects or  pyrotechnics can be utilized, which means a band may actually be, er, challenged to focus on their musical prowess to a larger degree than in larger venues…and the audience is usually closer to the stage, as well.

So no smoke bombs or flamethrowers would be utilized in Montgomery.  A simple name logo had been suspended in the back of the stage, but large, temporary lighting trusses hinted that there would indeed be plenty of visual effects.

Foreigner’s set consisted almost entirely of hits, which is exactly how it should have been, because such fare is what such audiences would demand.

Singer Kelly Hansen epitomized the term “front man,” as he was perpetually in motion, motivating the crowd to get into the music. His task came off as relatively easy, as most of the audience was on its feet for most of the concert, singing most of the lyrics to most of the songs. Nevertheless, Hansen was relentless, at one point even charging out into the seats in the middle of a song to shake hands and give high-fives.

The musicians in the band are first class, and were able to keep the show loose while plying their trade in a loud, professional and melodic manner. No one onstage stood still and stared at his shoes while playing his instrument; bassist Jeff Pilson was a dynamo, and guitarist Bruce Watson and multi-instrumentalist Tom Gimbel stayed active as well.

Keyboard player Michael Bluestein and drummer Chris Frazier had to remain stationary with their respective gear, of course, but each got a solo opportunity, and made the most of it.

And the light show was exceptional. A band’s lighting director doesn’t just change spotlight colors onstage in a back-and-forth manner during a performance; he/she has to coordinate precisely with certain passages of certain songs, and it’s a lot more complicated than a lot of folks may realize. Of particular note was Hansen’s stark, back-lit silhouette marching to the front of the stage as the band began a throbbing intro to “Juke Box Hero.”

Foreigner also has a unique way of making each of its concerts memorable to a particular locale: when the band performs the lush ballad “I Want To Know What Love Is,” a youth chorale, usually from a local high school, is shuttled onstage to sing backup on the chorus.

The Montgomery participants were from the Booker T. Washington magnet school, and the kids really got into the performance—their voices soared as they swayed with the beat, and their radiant countenances confirmed that this was an unforgettable experience.

And while the final chord of that song was being sustained, one student rushed over to Pilson and began striking the strings on his bass with both hands. It looked spontaneous, but actually wasn’t.

“I started bringing up a member of the choir to ‘whip’ my bass a while back,” Pilson said after the show. “It's kind of become a tradition, and adds to the fun. (I’ve) probably been doing it three or four years.”

Foreigner has succeeded in the musical marketplace for decades, and for good reason—they know how to keep the customers satisfied.

And Styx is slated to play the same venue the week this column is being published.

Foreigner-Hansen & Shoeless-LO.jpg

Photo by Willie G. Moseley

 

 

 

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Good post as always Willie G!  

Disclaimer - My wife is a Foreigner fan, her second favorite group, only to follow by Bad Co. 

We generally try to see Foreigner at least every other year.

Kelly Hansen's voice and stage presence works very well with Foreigners material.  Jeff Pilson (Your Rockin' with Dokk.. er, uh, Foreigner) and as Willie points out multi-instrumentalist Tom Gimbel are a couple of the guys that you would want in your band.  They can play just about anything.   Pilson is exceptional as a song writer as well.  

Mick Jones knows what he wants in the Foreigner sound and always has from the beginning.  The first three Foreigner albums were rockers and well balanced for AOR Radio. 

Foreigner drummers are good - Elliott, Bonham, Brian Tichy (personal fav), Carammassi (very short stint), and Frazier.   

My wife and I thought the current Can't Slow Down (2009) - is exceptionally good.  It is in constant rotation at my house.   I personally thought it was a return to the original Foreigner format.  The only CD that featured all new material with basically the current line up.  As a nod to the movie "Rock Star", Hansen doesn't have to sit in the Lou Gramm shadow -  and Hansens performance sits quite well.

Jones has pretty much "slowed down" and I certainly wish him well.  

I have always thought about those bands who are "christened" and have the blessing of whomever to use the name and not have an original member.  I am certain, KISS for example could go on without Paul or Gene much to the dismay of their hard core fans.

Foreigner is another one of those bands that probably could go on for another decade or so without any original members. As Willie G points out, "Stereotypically, a lot of classic rock groups perform at weekend festivals, casinos, or during summer tours featuring two or three bands. They may not be filling up arenas anymore, but they’re still viable...".

If your looking for a date night of music, this should work.  At least not ELO or Supertramp and as Willie G. pointed out, Foreigner is on tour this summer in one of those three bands summer tours. Just happens to be Foreigner, Cheap Trick and Jason Bonham, so you can take Kiz as well.  I am sure THAT would be an interesting time.

Hamerica

 

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Foreigner recently played near me, but because of the lack of original members I passed.  I did buy a ticket for the Charlotte show in August, though.  Cheap Trick is playing with Foreigner.  Because of that I gave it a shot and tried to find a good ticket.  An end seat on the front row came up, so I am going to the show. 

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I must admit, the Kelly Hansen-fronted version of the band gave me a new appreciation for the material. People hem and haw about the lack of original members but Foreigner might be the biggest example of a band that gets by entirely on its song catalog. The actual band members have always been non-descript, Lou Gramm included.

It'll be interesting to see if people are willing to consume the KISS product when Paul and Gene aren't actively involved in the stage show, because I do think they'll attempt it when the time comes. Is it all about the songs, the pyro and the makeup, or do Paul and Gene really matter that much? Time will tell.

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Just as a minor point of correction, the derogatory term used for Styx, Foreigner, REO and Journey was 'Corporate Rock', not 'Arena Rock'.  The latter is, as you point out, not derogatory, but signifies a status of concert attendances. Van Halen was one of the first bands associated with the 'Arena Rock' label.

The 'CR' term dates back to 1979/1980 and was used often in Circus Magazine, RS and other rags of the day as well as by critics who were most likely trying to make themselves relevant.

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If Gene and Paul leave KISS then tickets need to drop down to $10 - $15 which is what KISS tribute bands normally get. 

There is nothing wrong with a band that picks up new members over the decades.  38 Special has gotten down to one member from the classic lineup over the last 40 years.  Y&T is now down to one original member touring around.  The Allman Brothers have have had a lot of changes over the years.  Kansas has had its changes, but never stopped touring.  If you never quit following the band, then the new members are considered real members. 

I have not been following Foreigner closely.

Usually the problem is when a single original member of a defunct band hires an entirely new band to go out and tour under the old band's name.  Bobby Blotzer has tried that with Ratt.  Dokken was like that for a while, too.  Tom Keifer is touring under his own name and putting on what amounts to a Cinderella show anyway.  If he tried to call the band Cinderella he would get criticized. 

Here is something to ponder.  Were there ever really original members of Iron Maiden?  Before their first album several people were in and out of the band.  The first four albums had four different lineups.  There have been three different singers, two drummers, and a total of four guitar players that have made albums.  Only two members have played on every album.  I want to see the band as it exists now.

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Love me some Y&T! Yes, they are down to just one original member but at least it's the lead singer and lead guitarist, Dave Meniketti (and I believe main songwriter)! Even so, the last time they played around 20 miles from my house I didn't go because I wasn't sure how good they would be, and I saw some videos where another guitarist was playing some lead to give Dave a break, blasphemous! I was afraid seeing them like this would tarnish the awesome memories I had of them playing in California back in the early 80's. That's when Dave would be a great frontman, sing his ass off and play great rock solos all night long, Joey Alves pounding out guitar chords like a mad man, Phil Kennemore holding down the bass and Leonard Haze performed his mayhem on the drums...those were the days! I never saw a bad Y&T show and didn't want to possibly walk away disappointed from a show with the new lineup. 

I see they're coming around here (ATL) again and I might go... but still not for sure.

 

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55 minutes ago, Steve Haynie said:

Here is something to ponder.  Were there ever really original members of Iron Maiden?  Before their first album several people were in and out of the band.  The first four albums had four different lineups.  There have been three different singers, two drummers, and a total of four guitar players that have made albums.  Only two members have played on every album.  I want to see the band as it exists now.

Using what might be called the "reasonable listener standard", the original members of Maiden would be the core line up from the first two albums. Stratton might be disqualified on the basis that he was on his way out well before Killers was recorded.

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I was at the beach last summer,  (maybe the summer before) it was late and Foreigner was

playing and the crowd spilled out into the boardwalk... I was surprised...   lotta cougars and jaguars!  

raaarrrrrr!!!   lol  

 

  Iron Maiden is a really hard workin band, as much as I loved the killers lineup, I don't think that gig

is for everyone...  Dianno used to smoke, and I read he would faint from exhaustion,  but he would fall

strategically on a flight case or something...  that wasn't gonna last. 

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2 hours ago, Steve Haynie said:

Here is something to ponder.  Were there ever really original members of Iron Maiden?  Before their first album several people were in and out of the band.  The first four albums had four different lineups.  There have been three different singers, two drummers, and a total of four guitar players that have made albums.  Only two members have played on every album.  I want to see the band as it exists now.

I think the difference there is that Number of the Beast really broke Maiden, and, aside from Nicko, the lineup stayed the same through their golden era.  Bruce and Adrian may have not been originals technically, but they were key components to the most successful years. 

Is anyone involved with the regularly touring version of Foreigner actually linked to the era of the band that made Foreigner what it is?  I don't think there is.  For me personally, I'd still feel like I was just watching an officially sanctioned tribute band, but then most people I know who love Foreigner don't really care who is calling themselves Foreigner as long as they play the hits. 

I don't think anyone in the current version of Blackfoot has anything to do with the 70s lineup.  I really think it matters who is more important to your fanbase - songs or specific members. 

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Rick Medlocke has a bunch of new guys performing under the name Blackfoot.  Occasionally he plays a show with them, but that new band are all too young to have played in the 70's and 80's.  They probably were not even born yet during the original Blackfoot years.  Medlocke is doing what we accuse Gene Simmons of planning on doing. 

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Foreigner 4 was one of the first albums I bought with my own money (grade 7) so I have a lot of nostalgia for them, but I struggle to see any appeal in seeing them live at this point in time. To be fair - U2 is still the biggest bang for buck out here as far as stadiums and arenas go -- and they are still arguably making great new music and producing shows that are unique experiences unto themselves -- but what does a foreigner show offer - what is it feeding?.

I guess it's like watching a revival of Cats or something.... not quite original cast --- but for me the moment is gone -- the cultural moment that made them vital -- that's passed and in the past.

Willy says they "keep the customers satisfied" -- well so does cracker barrel ----- but it's a very specific type of customer at this point.  It's one of the reasons I never went to see the reformed Van Halen with DLR (my fav band ever) -- I didn't want to sit beside one of those customers nor see a show that served the lowest common denominator. I got my juice and paid my dues in the pits and line-ups for shows when I was 14 and 16 and 20... Half the people attending the shows had no vested interest in the band from back in the day and their attendance was a last ditch attempt to rewrite their own history of cool by dubious association and robbery.  That's my cool MF'er.... you don't get to come in now and retroactively steal it or appropriate it.

These days when I attend shows I'm still looking for juice - new juice. If the band doesn't have new juice and are tripping on pure nostalgia then no one (band or audience) has any skin in the game -- and I want to see skin in the game at shows I attend.

Anyway that's my semi rant - I love the hits too but I can drop on my original vinyl copy of 4 and hear the hits anytime I like through my vintage 70's and 80's sound system and let my mind create the greatest rock show in history (and in my mind I suddenly have a fuller head of hair). That's my nostalgia trip.

*Funny though because I see the Stones differently -- I see as Stone's show as something new and fresh all the time - I could expand on this idea in another post.

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1 hour ago, Steve Haynie said:

Rick Medlocke has a bunch of new guys performing under the name Blackfoot.  Occasionally he plays a show with them, but that new band are all too young to have played in the 70's and 80's.  They probably were not even born yet during the original Blackfoot years.  Medlocke is doing what we accuse Gene Simmons of planning on doing. 

And he's been doing this for some time now. Smart business move.

ETA: This looks more like "Blacktooth" than "Blackfoot", but if it works for Rickey...

BlackfootMA%5B1%5D.jpeg

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1 hour ago, Steve Haynie said:

Rick Medlocke has a bunch of new guys performing under the name Blackfoot.  Occasionally he plays a show with them, but that new band are all too young to have played in the 70's and 80's.  They probably were not even born yet during the original Blackfoot years.  Medlocke is doing what we accuse Gene Simmons of planning on doing. 

Sounds like he's doing what Mick Jones is already doing.

At the end of the day, these bands would cease to exist if there were no market for them. People seem to keep showing up in whatever numbers fill (or come close to filling) the venues where they're booked, so there you go.

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1 hour ago, Dasein said:

Willy says they "keep the customers satisfied" -- well so does cracker barrel ----- but it's a very specific type of customer at this point.  It's one of the reasons I never went to see the reformed Van Halen with DLR (my fav band ever) -- I didn't want to sit beside one of those customers nor see a show that served the lowest common denominator. I got my juice and paid my dues in the pits and line-ups for shows when I was 14 and 16 and 20... Half the people attending the shows had no vested interest in the band from back in the day and their attendance was a last ditch attempt to rewrite their own history of cool by dubious association and robbery.  That's my cool MF'er.... you don't get to come in now and retroactively steal it or appropriate it.

Oh, brother. Every get nosebleeds being up there on your high horse, Mr. Highest Common Denominator?

No one's trying "retroactively steal/appropriate" your VH experience because they're a newbie. Being an original fan doesn't mean you have more "juice" or "paid your dues." It just makes you old. 

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58 minutes ago, RobB said:

Oh, brother. Every get nosebleeds being up there on your high horse, Mr. Highest Common Denominator?

No one's trying "retroactively steal/appropriate" your VH experience because they're a newbie. Being an original fan doesn't make you any kind of "cool MFer." It just makes you old. 

Rob - generally at the HFC we don't make comments that take personal shots at fellow members --- particularly when they post a semi-rant with their tongue firmly in their cheek

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2 hours ago, RobB said:

Sorry. It wasn't personal, just sarcastic. I guess my tongue flapped instead of staying in my cheek. 

All good - I probably should have had my tongue more obviously in my cheek. I thought the rant (though based on real feelings) was ridiculous enough to show I was illuminating myself in an even more ridiculous light than the bands and fans I was questioning. I always try to balance the karma when I criticize something as personal and subjective as this and make myself the butt of the joke.

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With no original members or no KEY members, or no members of the band during the heyday......when do bands simply become tribute bands and not the band itself?

i dug Foreigner BITD and LOVED when they brought Junior Walker in to blow badass sax on Urgent.....but without Lou & Mick...heck, without any members of the band, is it really Foreigner?

 

At  Foghat and Skynyrd and apparently Blackfoot have one original member......but even then.

I can't fault the money they're making and no one is breaking down my door with royalty checks from the album I just released on iTunes.....but somehow I cannot go see a band without any band members in it from some key period....that's just me. 

Even The Who are just Pete and Roger..,l,is that The Who? really?

Not for me. YMMV of course. Just the musings of a 50-something here....

I guess like most of us, Rnr was deadly serious life-changing business for me BITD (and  still can be) and I don't like it being messed with. 

 

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I saw Foreigner with Europe and FM at Hammersmith a few years ago and they were excellent.  The first time I have ever seen them.  From start to finish they were a class act and as a band pretty much faultless.

We did chuckle when Mick Jones was "wheeled out" during track four, almost as if he was one of their Dad's, to rapturous applause but to be fair he held his own like the legend he is.

If they play here again I will definitely go.

 

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I'll never begrudge anyone getting their ya-ya's off on brand loyalty, digging music they loved when their bellies were smaller, their hair bigger, and their erections longer-lasting. I do it, too.

Still, I never got anything out of REO Speedwagon, Styx, Foreigner, et al. Might be the nicest guys on earth and chops galore but as a kid it all left me cold in the same way that Night Ranger left me cold. No "What the hell was that that just hit me?" sense of freshness from it. It always seemed like the musical equivalent of quality 1970s network television, while other bands making the equivalent of radical 70s cinema. The Mary Tyler Moore show, or Weekend? You Can Tuna Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish, or Marquee Moon?

Yeah, I do like the occasional episode of The Rockford Files.

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It never was rock and roll Shakespeare. It was mindless party music. And chicks dug it. Styx, Journey, Kansas, Cheap Trick, REO, Foreigner - 'Hold my beer. Watch this', do something stupid, rinse, repeat. From age 15 to age 25. Wouldn't change a minute.

Well OK, I'd like a few of those brain cells back.

 

ETA The Point: If whatever form of whatever band makes you feel young again for 5 minutes then it's alright.

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5 hours ago, polara said:

I'll never begrudge anyone getting their ya-ya's off on brand loyalty.

Nice observation.  Might we be seeing the complete transubstantiation of these bands into brands?

Not that I think rock is or ever was only about the art - Richard Penniman sure as hell wasn't in it just for the art of it - but there has always been that consideration for most of the legendary acts.  But this would be seem to be shedding any pretense of the artistic side for the commercial.

Foreigner and (probably soon) Kiss are clearly not selling any part of the art I would argue, and I don't mean that disparagingly or condescendingly.  And I don't think because you are making your bones in something that is a purely commercial effort robs you have being able to call yourself an artist any more than I think WWE wrestlers aren't athletes due to their "sport" being scripted. 

It's interesting to me in this way - John Pemberton doesn't need to jerk your soda for it to be a Coca Cola. Walt Disney doesn't need to draw your cartoon for it to be a Disney cartoon.  And Foreigner is proving that none of the people who had anything to do with those classic songs needs to play them for an audience to feel that the Foreigner brand is authentic as well.  I would have not guessed such a transition was possible, and the fact that it might be is rather fascinating. 

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