LIVE! | Journey, Foreigner & Night Ranger

by Mike Allen
Guest Staff Writer –

September 28, 2011 at Starlight Amphitheatre in Kansas City, MO..

It was an incredible night for a concert at the Starlight Amphitheatre in Kansas City. A sellout show proved that the rock and roll from the ’70s and 80s is still hip and very relevant. The talent on the stage with all three bands was a treat to watch and brought back so many memories.

First up was Night Ranger, who although played a very limited set, proved that there’s no weak link in their chain. Brad Gillis and their most recent acquisition, guitarist Joel Hoekstra (who replaced Jeff Watson), still deliver that one-two-punch, with both trading off blazing solos. It’s amazing how well Joel covers Jeff Watson’s parts. There’s a lot of technique in Jeff Watson’s style and Joel certainly pays attention to every detail, including tone.

Drummer Kelly Keagy and bassist Jack Blades have lost nothing, in fact have both improved both in playing and singing. Night Ranger’s patented sound rocked the house. Highlights of the show were “Sing Me Away,” “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” “Sister Christian” (Deen Castonovo on drums), “When You Close Your Eyes” and a track from their new album, “Lay It On Me” that kicked off the show.

Set List:
1. Lay It On Me
2. Sing Me Away
3. High Enough
4. When You Close Your Eyes
5. Don’t Tell Me You Love Me
6. Sister Christian
7. You Can Still Rock in America

Foreigner put on an incredible show. And oddly enough there were no original members of the band on stage. It was like watching the best Foreigner cover band ever. Lead Guitarist, Mick Jones was under the weather and has missed several shows on this tour. Most, if not everyone I spoke with in the crowd didn’t notice and many thought this was THE original Foreigner.

Lead vocalist Kelly Hansen does such an incredible job covering Lou Gramm’s vocals, it’s as if he owns them now. Although an energized set, and Foreigner rocked the crowd, there was something missing. Without Mick Jones, a lot of the guitar work, although it was adequate, wasn’t up to Mick’s level. Mick’s mere stage presence and the way he and Kelly play off of each other are very always exciting to watch.

However the rest of the band completely put on an incredible show. This band is a top-notch live act. The band performed their “hit” songs and didn’t perform any new material featured. The crowd loved it and very few people were seated throughout the show.

Sax player and second lead-guitarist Tom Gimble is the band’s saving grace. His sax solos, particularly his solo during Urgent, was breathtaking and filled with passion. Tom’s playing and Kelly’s singing stole the show. There was no lack of enthusiasm from the band. Highlights were “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision,” “Urgent,” “Cold As Ice” and “Feels Like The First Time.” “Juke Box Hero” was nothing short of incredible, with Kelly Hansen’s range going into sonic mode, he matched the original version, vocally, note for note.

Set List:
1. Double Vision
2. Head Games
3. Cold as Ice
4. Waiting for a Girl Like You
5. Dirty White Boy
6. Band Intro
7. Feels Like the First Time
8. Urgent
9. I Want to Know What Love Is
10. Hot Blooded
11. Juke Box Hero.

Touring for their new album surprisingly, Journey only played one song,” City Of Love” from the new release, Eclipse. With such a strong release and hard rocking comeback album, I expected to hear 4 or 5 songs from the new release. For the most part Journey played a “greatest hits” show.

“La Do Da” was really the only half way obscure song they played. “La Do Da” is one of the most difficult Journey, ala Steve Perry, songs to sing. Requiring a lot of power and a lot of range, it was a surprise for the band to perform the song towards the end of the set. Arnel Pineda was simply amazing pulling it off. Just when it seemed to be at the toughest part of any song throughout the night Arnel consistently amazed the crowd with finesse, power, range, and control. He has an incredible gift and this show was certainly one to showcase his vocal abilities. For the most part, he covered Perry’s stuff note for note, but at times threw in his own little flair and held notes a little longer, sang a verse a little slower and in general, proved to the crowd that he is the real deal.

Neal Schon’s playing is simply amazing. He didn’t do as much shredding as expected but he certainly has the best chops of any rock and roll guitarist out there. The band played perfectly all night. Deen Castronovo, behind the drums is one of the best technical drummers out there but what really makes him stand out are his background vocals. His high harmonies compliment Arnel’s vocals very well and Dean sounds a lot like Perry. His vocal presence makes the Journey sound very authentic and true to what the songs are about. Overall a complete thumbs up for their performance, sound, lights … everything. The only drawback or negative observation of the show is the set list. Since they are touring with a new album, and a great one at that, more songs from Eclipse should have been played.

Set List:
1. Separate Ways
2. Ask the Lonely
3. Send Her My Love
4. City of Hope
5. Only the Young
6. Faithfully
7. Stone in Love
8. Escape
9. Lights
10. Wheel in the Sky
11. Open Arms
12. La Do Da
13. Be Good To Yourself.

Encore:
1. Any Way You Want It
2. Don’t Stop Believin’
3. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’

Photos appear courtesy of Gary Dean Ash

LIVE! | Night Ranger

by Ron and Don Higgins
Staff Writer

August 3, 2011 at Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Night Ranger’s 30th Anniversary tour rocked through Cincinnati, Ohio recently, opening up for rock and roll heavyweights Foreigner and Journey. Unlike the other bands, Night Ranger still features their original lead singers, bassist Jack Blades and drummer Kelly Keagy, and therefore sound exactly like fans remember from their glory days of the 1980s. Founding member, guitarist Brad Gillis, is still with the band as well and doesn’t appear to have aged a bit, either in appearance or musicianship. He’s as sharp as ever and, if anything, laying down even heavier, rocking licks. Rounding out the band is guitarist Joel Hoekstra, who also plays lead guitar in the Broadway hit “Rock of Ages” and recently toured with TSO, and keyboardist Eric Levy.

The night started out with a quick meet-and-greet with the band. Unfortunately, the meeting was very short since it was held before the show and the band had to hit the stage in 20 minutes. However, it was long enough to spend a few minutes chatting with the guys, thanking Brad for the phone interview conducted the day before (transcription coming soon!) and getting the band to autograph the cover of their awesome debut album Dawn Patrol.

Once the meet-and-greet was over, there was just enough time to head back to the front office, grab a photo pass and head right back down to the front of the stage to take some pictures of their killer set. Interestingly, they kicked off their set with “Lay It On Me” from their new album Somewhere in California. It was a bold choice given its relative obscurity but given that it’s one of the best songs on the album (and the heaviest) it was a great choice. People sometimes forget that Night Ranger, although known for some monster ballads, was formed by Ozzy Osbourne’s ex-guitarist. To read a review of this incredible album (rated 9.25 out of 10 by Hardrock Haven), just click here: http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2011/night-ranger-somewhere-in-california/.

After introducing the crowd to their impressive new music, they switched to familiar territory with their hit ballad “Sing Me Away” from their first album. The crowd joined in on the familiar chorus as they prepared themselves for a long evening of singing along to the soundtrack of their lives. Surprisingly, their third song wasn’t even one of their own songs! It may seem strange for such a well established band to play a cover song when playing such a short set but given that the song was “High Enough”, the massive hit by Jack’s other “supergroup” band Damn Yankees, it’s really not too surprising. This song made it all the way to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 back in 1990 so the crowd was certainly familiar with it. More group singing ensued. Playing the vocal part of Tommy Shaw was Kelly and filling the shoes of the Motor City Madman was Brad, who is certainly a capable fill-in for The Nuge.

At the midpoint of their set, they played one of their biggest hits “When You Close Your Eyes” from their platinum selling Midnight Madness. This was followed up by their first big video hit “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”, which enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV during its early years. Even today it’s hard to hear this song without picturing Jack standing on railroad tracks!

Finally, they played the song everyone was waiting for, their biggest hit “Sister Christian.” This song continues to show up on compilation disks, frequently mislabeled as a “Power Ballad,” and is definitely a fan favorite. Kelly walked out from behind his drum kit with sticks in hand and began leading the crowd as if he were a symphony orchestra conductor. Fortunately, his voice was in fine shape and their rendition of this iconic song didn’t disappoint. Sometimes his voice can be a little shaky due to overuse from singing night after night but on this night he sounded perfect. At this point, the crowd was in a state of rock and roll bliss and fully ready to welcome the night’s next to acts. However, Night Ranger weren’t quite finished yet. A stage hand brought out a large American flag and, joining in the patriotic spirit, both Brad and Joel played red, white and blue guitars as they finished up their set with their popular rocker, “(You Can Still) Rock in America.”

Overall, they put on a high energy show, they looked great, they played great, and they sounded great. Just as important, they appeared to really be having fun on stage. This is a band that is celebrating their 30th anniversary and yet they played with the swagger and vigor of guys half their age. They’ve been around the proverbial block and are clearly happy with the current state of their careers in 2011. They could spend all of their time looking backwards but instead seem to be more interested with enjoying the present and moving into the future with their best new material in years.

The only downside to their show was the short set list. With three bands, the opening act is always going to have a limited set but as well as they were playing it would’ve been nice to hear them play more. Only getting to hear them tear through seven awesome songs merely whets the appetite to see them play a full show. If you get a chance to see them on this current tour with legendary acts like Foreigner and Journey, run, don’t walk to your nearest ticket agent. After all, you can see these three amazing bands for as cheap as $30, which is an incredible deal. On this particular summer night, it was nice to see that three classic bands could still pull in nearly 20,000 fans and prove that you CAN still rock in America!

Photos appear courtesy of Ron and Don Higgins

Journey | Eclipse

by Don & Ron Higgins
Staff Writer

Eclipse is the amazing new album from the iconic rock group Journey. This album could be summed up by one word: WOW! With that said, this is not simply a continuation of their last album but a creative step forward. The last album, Revelation, which was the first one to introduce Arnel Pineda to the world, was a fantastic album that had a classic Journey sound and set out to prove that Arnel could fill some big shoes. It seemed like they wanted to prove that they could still make a great Journey album. This time, it seems like they just wanted to make a great record to please themselves. There’s a slight shift away from their pop sound and they have progressed to making a harder edged, artistically rich, heavy rocking album.

What makes this album different is, first of all, it’s heavier and isn’t filled with a lot of light, radio-friendly ballads with heavy keyboards. If you’re looking for an album filled with songs that sound like “Open Arms,” “Faithfully,” and “After all These Years” and the like, then you’re going to have to keep looking. This album is very much dominated by Neal Schon’s amazing guitar work. He riffs, shreds and solos like the guitar hero he’s always been. He sounds like he just joined PX-90 and then drank a few Red Bulls before plugging into his amp. Also, the rhythm section, particularly Dean, is playing with a vengeance. This may have the most aggressive drumming of any Journey album to date. And conversely, Jonathon Cain’s keyboards are very much in the background on this release. When you do hear them, it’s often to add texture or you simply hear him playing piano. However he was still very involved in the writing. Another difference is that most of the songs are over five and six minutes long which shows that they are concentrating on the song itself and not worrying so much about making a radio friendly hit.

The album starts off strong with “City of Hope.” It’s an up-tempo rocker with the guitars out front right off the bat…which occurs throughout the album. Arnel also starts off strong, singing with passion and hanging onto notes with control and power. The chorus is catchy with group harmonies, “There’s a city of hope beyond all fears, where miracles happen where truth can be heard.” There’s a good guitar solo around four minutes in. This one is somewhat radio-friendly. For about the last minute of the song, the band starts rocking with an instrumental fade where Neal and Dean are absolutely on fire. This lets you know that this is not your average melodic rock album. It’s a great start to a great album.

Next up is “Edge of the Moment” which starts off with guitars and noticeable bass and drums for about the first 45 seconds before Arnel comes in. It doesn’t sound like typical Journey but it’s good. It’s a heavier song, kind of modern and aggressive. Neal uses cool chorus effects and then solos in the middle and then again at the end. And Arnel is really starting to shine. Track three is a standout tracked called “Chain of Love”. Ethereal keyboards morph into piano, then the song builds. Arnel starts to sing with power and holds on to long notes with great effect. Then after a minute and a half we get guitars, then drums and then a catchy chorus you can sing along with. Song four is a unique song called “Tantra.” It starts out as a nice piano ballad, but then as often happens on this album, the songs shifts around two minutes into a solid, mid-tempo rocker. It also features hopeful, positive lyrics which also occur throughout. It ends like it started with vocals and piano. A great song! Next comes “Anything is Possible,” a mid-tempo rocker where you can hear the whole band including piano. It’s very uplifting and hopeful with a nice, catchy chorus. It could be a radio hit and it is one of the most accessible songs on the album. It also features an outstanding, shredding solo by Neal. Track six, “Resonate” is another solid mid-tempo rocker with a big chorus and features tight musicianship by all members.

The second half of the CD starts out with another standout number called “She’s a Mystery”. It’s a groovy ballad that really showcases Arnel’s amazing voice along with great vocals by the rest of the band. There is great subtle guitar work both electric and acoustic with fitting percussion and keyboards for texture. Once again on this album, at five minutes it switches gears… starting with a jamming rhythm guitar. The whole song starts rocking with solos, drums and screaming vocals. Very cool! Neal wails through the outro, abusing the whammy bar and all. Next up is “Human Feel,” another standout track and the second in a row to clock in at almost seven minutes long. It starts with funky drums and some guitar tricks until Neal starts his rhythm guitar. Then you hear the B3 organ and also Ross’s bass is very noticeable in the mix. It’s a real showcase for all of the talented musicians. This is followed by “Ritual,” another up-tempo rocker where Neal rocks out and solos while Jonathan does some Jerry Lee Lewis inspired piano work. The song changes direction around two and a half minutes, then changes a third time a minute later and then it comes back around. Song ten is a ballad featuring guitars and keyboards and sounds more like a ‘typical’ typical Journey song. This would be a good choice for a single and features Arnel’s powerful vocals along with ambitious lyrics. Next is “Someone” which is yet another catchy, up-tempo song and has a more typical Journey feel. The final song on this wonderful CD is “Venus”, a rocking instrumental. The whole band rocks out but once again Neal shows how it’s done and Dean is prominently featured like on the entire album, even throwing in a little double bass! It fades out then fades back in… they just had to rock out a little longer!

In summary: This is an impressive, rocking musical achievement from a legendary rock band. You can tell it’s a Journey album but in many ways it sounds like it was recorded by a bunch of hungry, young musicians who are trying to make a point. It’s good on first listen but like all truly good albums, it gets better with each listen. If you are a long time Journey fan then you will certainly like it. If you are unwilling to accept Journey without a certain singer (and we’re not talking about Greg Rollie) then it’s your loss. These guys are firing on all cylinders on this album. And fans of melodic rock or hard rock will like this album. If you are someone who is only a passive Journey fan and only know them by their big ballads and radio hits of the seventies then you need to check this out to see what else they can do. If you love great rocking guitars or heavy drums, then you’ll be impressed as well. These guys should be rewarded for having the guts and talent to create something so fresh. This album is selling for a very reasonable price so you should definitely add this one to your collection. Be sure to support this great band by buying this new album and seeing them on tour this summer with Night Ranger and Foreigner. You’ll be glad you did!

Band:
Arnel Pineda – Lead vocals
Neal Schon – Guitars
Jonathan Cain – Keyboards
Ross Valory – Bass
Dean Castronovo- Drums

Track Listing:
01) City of Hope
02) Edge of the Moment
03) Chain of Love
04) Tantra
05) Anything is Possible
06) Resonate
07) She’s a Mystery
08) Human Feel
09) Ritual
10) To Whom it May Concern
11) Someone
12) Venus

Website: www.journeymusic.com

Label: Nomata

Hardrock Haven Rating: 9.5/10

Kansas, Styx and Foreigner LIVE!

June 3, 2010 at Starlight Amphitheater, Kansas City, MO.

by Mike Allen
Guest Staff Writer

A beautiful night under the stars was the perfect backdrop for this show. Three excellent bands on one bill.

Kansas opened the show with a 45-minute set, which definitely was not long enough for this once-major act to play. However, Kansas wasted no time tearing into their set. The show opener, “Point of Know Return” was performed without flaw, with bassist Billy Greer adding his vocals to the intros of each chorus. Steve Walsh’s voice was in raw form, sounding great and not strained as had been reported from previous reviews of the band. The band’s original lead guitarist Rich Williams still has the crunch and tone that keeps the Kansas sound very much alive. Rich plays with great finesse on, both, electric and acoustic, perfectly playing very difficult finger picking parts, while letting loose on his electric solos. Violinist David Ragsdale, who replaced original violinist Robby Steinhart about five years ago, plays very precisely, leaving nothing and adding in a little of his own flair and style to the music. Ragsdale also is an accomplished guitarist in his own right. Rounding out the band is original drummer Phil Ehart. The man is a monster on the drums and proved it throughout the show.

Kansas never disappoints, and this night, the only disappointment about Kansas was the band didn’t get to play long enough, which was out of their control.

One of several high points of the show was during “Icarus: Born On Wings of Steel,” in which Steve Walsh showcased his fantastic keyboard abilities. As the crowd watched and heard him preach the song while he played his classic sound, you, at times, really could feel the emotion Walsh was pouring out. Of course, Walsh let loose on his keyboard solo during “Carry On Wayward Son,” which brought the entire crowd to its feet.

It was a very quick and tight set. Kansas needs to be on a tour with one less band and be afforded more time to play. They undoubtedly are not tired and ready to rock.

Kansas Set List:
Point of Know Return (No intro music. They go straight into the song)
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Hold On (With the Peaceful & Warm Section)
Dust in the Wind
Icarus: Born on Wings of Steel
Portrait
Fight Fire With Fire
Carry on Wayward Son

After a brief intermission, Styx took the stage. Opening up with the music to “Light Up,” playing as they took the stage, the house, by this time, was full and everyone was on their feet. Styx, no doubt, has the ability to bring a crowd to their feet during their entire show. Although the term “poser” is normally meant for someone who has no talent but knows how to look the part, this isn’t the case for Styx. These guys are the best posers in the business. The band is very photo friendly and offers an incredible stage presence. Tommy Shaw probably is the most talented poser ever. Watching Styx is very exciting. It’s so hard to believe that James Young and Tommy Shaw are 118 years old when you combine their ages. They both look and sound very young and move like they did in their younger days. Nothing has been lost, and the years have been so kind to Styx.

The opener, “Borrowed Time” went over really well. It’s nice to hear a band open a show with a little more of an obscure song, rather than just start playing the hits. They did a bit of a medley during “Borrowed Time,” sneaking in excerpts from “Mr. Roboto” and “Rockin The Paradise,” then returning to “Borrowed Time” to end the song. The audience loved it and screamed loudly throughout the entire show. Not enough can be said about Tommy Shaw’s talent. He’s the little man with the big voice.

Lawrence Gowan, the replacement for Dennis DeYoung, is a great fit in the band. He has a very similar voice to that of DeYoung, and his stage presence is sort of like Rod Stewart meets Mick Jagger. He keeps the crowd’s attention with not just with his voice, but his keyboard playing stays very true to the original Styx sound. He plays note for note, exactly what Dennis played. His background vocals and harmonies are spot on.

Ricky Phillips’ (formerly of Baby’s and Bad English) bass playing is very tight. He’s a seasoned pro and fits right in with the rest of Styx. Todd Sucherman’s drumming is nothing short of incredible. He’s a double-bass playing, technical drummer who pays close attention to detail and never, ever misses anything.
All in all, Styx’s energy level and enthusiasm makes for a really fun show to watch. A very cool screen with all sorts of graphics that go along with the songs is a really nice added touch. For example, they had a flag with the Statue of Liberty as part of a montage of scenes, along with girls dancing in sync as the backdrop for “Miss America.” And during “Come Sail Away,” the lyrics popped. These effects also were used during “Foolin Yourself” and “GET UP, which makes it fun to watch Styx.

Styx stepped outside the box and even covered Shaw’s Damn Yankee song, “High Enough.” With Lawrence Gowan covering Jack Blades’ harmony and playing piano, this song really sounded great. Also, hearing James Young’s interpretation of a Ted Nugent solo was a nice thing to hear. He did Nugent justice by playing key notes but still played it the way only JY can do it with quite a few more notes in the solo that were performed very tastefully.
James Young sounded great. He’s a very underrated guitarist and an even more underrated singer; He pulled off “Lorelei” like he’s owned it all along.
Styx certainly is enjoying a second youth these days. It was an incredible and energetic performance.

Styx Set List:
Borrowed Time
Grand Illusion
Too Much Time on My Hands
Lady
Lorelei
Can You Take Me Higher
Suite Madame Blue
Fooling Yourself
Miss America
Come Sail Away
encore
Blue Collar Man
Renegade

This brings us to Foreigner. It’s been rumored that during this tour, Styx and Foreigner have been switching as headliners. This writer is glad that Foreigner was able to close the show because from the second they took the stage to the second they left 90-plus minutes later, Foreigner tore it up. Kelly Hansen, formerly of the ‘80’s-‘90’s band Hurricane, took the helm for Lou Gramm, who left the band six years ago because of health reasons. Kelly is a singer to be reckoned with. He has all the range of Gramm, the sound of Gramm and the energy of Steven Tyler. What a talent. There absolutely was nothing about his voice that sounded bad. He is so on top of his game that it’s borderline orgasmic to listen to him. He is 150 percent balls-to-the-wall the entire show. He belted out all the high parts of “Juke Box Hero,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Hot Blooded” and even breathed life into “I Want To Know What Love Is.” Not enough can be said for what Kelly Hansen has done for Mick Jones and Foreigner. Jones probably said it the best when he introduced Hansen to the crowd. Summing it up, he said he found a singer that could bring life back into the songs and restore them to their original energy and form, and Kelly is the MAN! Lou Gramm’s shoes are big, big shoes to fill. If anyone was disappointed in Hansen’s performance, it wasn’t shown by anyone in the full-to-capacity crowd. He literally brought down the house.

Jones still has everything he always did. He looks great with his bleach-white, spiked hair and skin-tight leather pants. Most people would say that a man in his 60s shouldn’t be wearing that type of stuff. But Jones undoubtedly is the rockstar he always was. In fact, having seen him several times over the past 30 years, he was more “on” this night than seen I’ve seen in a long time. He still has all the crunch and meanness in his tone. The force is very much still alive in Jones. His version of “Starrider” still sounds every bit as good as it ever has with this time being an exception . His vocals sounded nice, but the four-minute guitar solo that erupted out of Jones during this song was awesome. Mick still knows how to work a crowd the old-fashioned way: Shut up and play guitar!

Foreigner’s new songs, “Can’t Slow Down” and “Pieces” came off sounding like classic Foreigner songs and definitely were a great way to boost a few album sales after the show.

To sum up the entire night, one word comes to mind: ENERGY; and lots of it. Two thumbs up and way to rock it, to all three bands.

Foreigner Set List:
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold As Ice
Can’t Slow Down (new)
Dirty White Boy
Pieces (new)
Starrider
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent
I Want to Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded
encore
Jukebox Hero

Foreigner Live!

April 18, 2009 at Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nev.

by Kim Shockley
Staff Writer

Peppermill Casino in Reno, Nev., was the scene of one of the most energetic hard rocking events of the spring … Foreigner in concert. One of the most popular touring bands of the ’70s and ’80s, Foreigner’s high-energy performance could be compared to a volcanic eruption. The show began with a sudden, steady rumbling as the crowd, one by one got on their feet, erupted into one big party, even before the encore

Kelly Hansen, the lead vocalist, is reminiscent an ’80s Steven Tyler. Kelly’s vocals were right on the money throughout the show. He sounds a lot like Lou Gramm, is equally as talented and sings the hits exactly the way we want and expect to hear them. Foreigner gave the fans all the originals in an extended version with unbelievable guitar riffs and a drum solo that words can’t describe … you had to be there. Drummer Brian Tichy is amazing, and the crowd exploded into applause as Brian threw his drum sticks into the crowd and continued playing with his bare hands. Don’t miss this show when it comes to your city.

Mick Jones, founding member of Foreigner and lead guitarist, played his heart out. Mick’s famous guitar riffs kept the energy high throughout the show. He proved he still had the chops when it came to his vocal performance on “Starrider.”

The very best rock shows are performed at top-notch venues that enhance the performance vs. one where security takes themselves too seriously. Security at the Peppermill Casino did exactly what they should do … protect the band and escort the jerks outside. Fans were free to express their excitement, and they did just that.

The show began with their major hits, “Double Vision,” “Head Games,” and “Cold as Ice.” By the time they got to “Blue Morning,” at least half the crowd, which was made up of young and not-so- young, already was on its feet with hands in the air. “Too Late,” a cut from their latest album, tasted like classic Foreigner, but it is relevant in today’s rock music. The CD should be great.

Kelly Hansen surprised the crowd early in the show when he jumped over the railing and headed into the crowd. He sang part of the song from the audience then triumphantly returned to the stage.

“Dirty White Boy” brought the rest of the crowd to its feet and the party was definitely on. The set ended with “Urgent” and “Juke Box Hero.” The cheering quickly turned to a deafening roar. The crowd wasn’t kept waiting long as Foreigner returned to the stage to perform their encore, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” and “Hot Blooded.”

Set List:
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold as Ice
Blue Morning
Waiting
Too Late
Dirty White Boys
Say You Will
Starrider
Feels Like The First Time
Urgent
Juke Box Hero

Encore:
I Want To Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded

The Band:
Kelly Hansen: lead vocals, percussion
Mick Jones: lead guitar, keyboards, bass, vocals
Thom (Tom) Gimbel: guitar, saxophone, flute, backing vocals
Michael Bluestein: keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals
Jeff Pilson: bass, backing vocals
Brian Tichy: drums, percussion

Photos by Kim Shockley and Gary Dean Ash