I don’t know who’s idea it was for Foreigner to retire in the first place, other than the fact that no original members are in the band anymore. Mick’s health keeps him from performing and Lou Gramm has joined the band on and off with some great performances, and some maybe not so great. Plus his health keeps him from doing more than a few shows at a time.
So at some point the band in its current form decided to pull the plug, or so we thought. Now that Kelly Hansen has said he’s leaving the band after this summer, and Luis Maldonado will take his place, the band is supposedly calling it quits on calling it quits.
Jeff Pilson told Billboard "“There’s just a lot of forward movement, and the band is incredibly excited. What started off as being a farewell tour now ended up being Kelly’s last tour and (the band) moving forward.”
But should they keep going?
I’ve seen them live in their current form and they put on a good show, and its always nice to hear the songs performed live. But you know its not the same. There’s just a feeling at the shows that something is missing. And that something is the gravitas of the original musicians and rock stars that brought the songs to life in the first place.
I agree the music should live on, but you can tell the difference between when a musician who was part of a song’s creation plays it live, and when someone who learned the song later on is playing it. That’s why cover bands don’t sell out stadiums, because its just not the same. And sometimes cover bands can perform the songs better than the original artists due to health and age, but its still just not the same.
So while I’m all for fans who still want to go hear the songs live, supporting this iteration of the band, and I’m all for the guys in the band still making a living, I for one, am done with the live show part of what they currently call Foreigner.
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