Foreigner's self-titled first album came out in 1977. Founding members Mick Jones and Lou Gramm remain involved with the band.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
zmason@medicinehatnews.com
On Nov. 5, the iconic band Foreigner is coming to Medicine Hat for the first time.
The band will take over Co-op Place on Wednesday night as part of the Canadian leg of their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Celebration Tour.
Foreigner is among the best-selling musical acts of all time, with nine top-10 hits and several certified platinum songs, like “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
Longtime bassist Jeff Pilson talked to the News on Thursday ahead of the group’s arrival in the Hat next week.
Pilson’s journey with Foreigner is the stuff of a California daydream. After becoming friends with Jason Bonham, the musician and son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, while working on a movie together in 2000, Pilson was introduced to Mick Jones, a founding member of Foreigner.
At the time, Jones was interested in getting back into making music, and after collaborating with Bonham, decided to revamp the band with some new musicians under the old banner. He tapped Pilson, who had joined Bonham and Jones for a one-off show, to join the band as the bassist in 2004.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling. When I was asked to join the band, I was actually just asked to do weekend warrior work. I couldn’t have dreamed it would last this long. I knew Foreigner was great, but I didn’t realize classic rock would have the revival that it has.”
Last year, the original lineup of the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although Pilson wasn’t on the list of inductees, he got to play at the induction ceremony, and he’s thrilled to be part of a band with such lasting impact.
“For me, it’s a testament to how great the band is,” he said. “The original members have become good friends – it’s like a family. That sounds cliche, but it’s very true.”
“I couldn’t be more happy and proud of this organization. I’m honestly, genuinely honoured to be part of it.”
As for the show in Medicine Hat, Pilson says fans can expect plenty of their favourites.
“Foreigner had 16 top-30 songs, so the set list writes itself. The hardest thing about a Foreigner set list is what songs you leave out.”
For longtime Foreigner fans, there’s also new factors to look forward to. Luis Maldonado took over as lead singer after the retirement of Kelly Hansen earlier this year. Hansen took over from original frontman Lou Gramm in 2005.
“Luis loved his gig, and he loved the band, and he didn’t want the band to end. We knew he could sing great, but we didn’t know how much he could turn into a frontman, seemingly overnight. He rose to the occasion and made us all very excited.”
In 2022, the band announced on a farewell tour that it would end with Hansen’s retirement in 2024. But after the momentum generated by the Hall of Fame induction, and the unexpected star power of Maldonado, Pilson says Foreigner is not planning to say farewell anytime soon.
“The fact is, there’s demand for it. The band loves playing, we love what we do, and the people want to see it. We are truly fortunate that we have such a great catalog of songs. It’s just a joy doing a show every night, and when that’s the case, why would you stop?”
He also says new music is on the horizon for the group. The band is collaborating with founding frontman Gramm to put out unreleased material from his days with the outfit. The current group is working on some entirely new material as well.
“There’s quite a bit of stuff coming. We just need the time to do it all.”
He said after the tour wraps, the band plans to use 2026 to work on new music.
Foreigner take the stage Wednesday, Nov. 5. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
