It was always hard to imagine Foreigner without Lou Gramm. But he’s been gone now from the group for more than 20 years. Happily, a series of events have put him back behind the microphone for ongoing special appearances with other former members.
The iconic frontman left in 2003 after a turbulent stretch which also found him battling severe health issues, it seemed to leave the future of the heritage band in doubt.
Understandably, it was a hard pill for Gramm to swallow initially, seeing a version of Foreigner out there on the road without him in it. But time gave the singer and Jones a chance to mend their relationship and receiving various accolades, including being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, continued to put them in the same room.
They began also to invite Gramm and other original members to perform with the current lineup as they celebrated the 40th anniversary of the band. The massive combined group was humorously dubbed by Pilson as “SuperForeigner” and eventually commemorated with the live release, Double Vision: Then and Now, which arrived in 2019.
They’ll continue the alliance with Gramm during two shows in Atlantic City this weekend, beginning on Friday, Oct. 10. The Saturday night show (Oct. 11) will also be Hansen’s final performance with the group and he will officially hand frontman duties over to Luis Maldonado, who joined the band in 2021.
What Does Lou Think of Foreigner Now?
Gramm is looking forward to Atlantic City. “I’ve been doing shows with them and I’ve been enjoying it a lot. The band is excellent. They portray the songs [in a way that] an original member of Foreigner would be proud to to to play along with,” he shares in a new interview with UCR. “They have their own style, but they stick close enough to the original [versions] where no one’s going, ‘Hey, where’s that part?’ So it’s a lot of fun.”
“They’re fun to hang out with. Their musical expertise is very apparent when you hear them play and they’re a pretty loose bunch of guys,” he adds. “We have fun on stage and offstage. There’s a lot of camaraderie there that is a different brand from the original Foreigner, but nonetheless, it’s very appreciated.”
As part of 2024’s class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Foreigner will celebrate that milestone and the recent box set for 1981’s classic 4 album with additional concerts featuring Gramm. Those shows begin Dec. 3 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. You can see tour dates below.
Recalling some of his initial interactions with Pilson, he confirms that the bassist grilled him with questions about his personal approach when he was doing shows with Foreigner in the past. “It was sit down and answer 100 questions, you know, but they were all good questions,” he remembers. “I honored that because I could see where he was going with them. They weren’t just trivia questions, it was all to help the sound of the band when I was singing. They honestly pull off those songs with a great deal of feeling and staying true to the original versions.”
