Foreigner rocks out ATT Center

[Don]

Nice to see the band selling out a good size venue again (16.5k). Looks like no opening act either, very impressive. Seems like having a Wal-Mart deal has breathed new life into these guys.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/rodeo/84285467.html

By Robert Johnson - Express-News

ATTENDANCE: 16,500 (sold out)

FIRST TAKE: You wouldn't expect to see "Foreigner" and "Stock Show & Rodeo" in the same sentence, but the classic-rock hit machine whose biggest hit, the massive power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is," came during the Reagan administration (the first one), nevertheless managed to fill the AT&T Center to the rafters Friday night. The band, led by guitarist and only remaining founding member Mick Jones, took full advantage of its first solo headlining appearance in San Antonio in more than a decade; its most recent visits were always co-headlining affairs with '70s/'80s arena-rock compadres Journey, Def Leppard, Styx and Bad Company.

After an intro worthy of the Spurs — roving spotlights in the darkened arena and a scoreboard going crazy — the band opened with a rock 'n' roll salvo of "Double Vision," "Head Games," "Cold as Ice" (the piano intro drew a huge roar) and "Dirty White Boy."

THE SCENE: As advertised, new lead singer Kelly Hansen sounded uncannily like his predecessor, Lou Gramm, although the rail-thin singer looked more like a young Steven Tyler. He endeared himself to the crowd by leaving the gray revolving stage to take a lap around the dirt of the arena floor, slapping hands with fans; and by dedicating the first new tune of the evening, "Can't Slow Down," to the wounded warriors in attendance.

Jones, meanwhile, showed he can still burn the strings of his Gibson Les Paul — and sing a bit, too. He took over the vocal chores from Hansen on the soft-to-hard "Starrider," which is noteworthy for being one of the few tunes on the band's first album that wasn't a hit.

The hits just kept on coming, as the band went all the way back to 1977 for its very first Top 10 tune, "Feels Like the First Time." "Urgent" saw second guitarist Thom Gimbel switch to sax and stepped into the spotlight for an extended solo. A quickie drum solo from Brian Tichy signaled the arrival of "Juke Box Hero," which abruptly shifted into the familiar riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" before going back to the jukebox guy in a swirl of howling guitars that closed the hour-long main set.

Because it would have involved a nervous walk through the dirt, the band eschewed standard encore procedure and remained onstage for an encore that was exactly what you'd expect — a sing-along version of the chart-topping power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is" (with Jones helping out on keyboards), followed by a raucous run-through of the power-chord workout "Hot Blooded," arguably one of the band's finest moments and a great closing tune.

They call what Foreigner does "arena rock." They proved Friday they still know how to rattle the far reaches of an arena. And yes, it rocked.

[steveo777]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

[Don]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

[Everett]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

Ditto

[Michigan Girl]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

[KenTheDude]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

+1. I'm almost willing to say that Kelly is a better fit for Foreigner than Arnel is for Journey.

[steveo777]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

+1. I'm almost willing to say that Kelly is a better fit for Foreigner than Arnel is for Journey.

Since so many people bash my favorite band of all time, (Journey) I felt it was my turn to take a shot. I'm almost willing to say Pineda is a better fit for Journey than Perry would be today.

[stevew2]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

+1. I'm almost willing to say that Kelly is a better fit for Foreigner than Arnel is for Journey.

Since so many people bash my favorite band of all time, (Journey) I felt it was my turn to take a shot. I'm almost willing to say Pineda is a better fit for Journey than Perry would be today.

I knew that was coming.Augeri was a better fit he had had to lipp

[Don]

Kelly and Arnel are coming from totally different situations. One is a cover singer while the other has a rock and roll resume, having been on MTV in the 80s and even co-writing a top 40 song while in Hurricane, not to mention his co-writing credit on Foreigner's current A/C hit 'When It Comes To love'.
Another thing, when Foreigner does interviews, Kelly asserts himself as a leader of the band along with Mick, he doesn't worry about stepping on toes or being (allegedly) taken out of context like Pineda. That comes from experience of course. I doubt you would see Mick's Girlfriend/Wife writing a letter to Rolling Stone's editorial column crying over an interview of Hansen, like Lori Carpenter did with the Arnel interview.

[Everett]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

+1. I'm almost willing to say that Kelly is a better fit for Foreigner than Arnel is for Journey.

Since so many people bash my favorite band of all time, (Journey) I felt it was my turn to take a shot. I'm almost willing to say Pineda is a better fit for Journey than Perry would be today.

That's a bold statement

[Red13JoePa]

Kelly and Arnel are coming from totally different situations. One is a cover singer while the other has a rock and roll resume, having been on MTV in the 80s and even co-writing a top 40 song while in Hurricane, not to mention his co-writing credit on Foreigner's current A/C hit 'When It Comes To love'.

Meh, they probably just threw him and his fans a bone, right Gb?

[Don]

Kelly and Arnel are coming from totally different situations. One is a cover singer while the other has a rock and roll resume, having been on MTV in the 80s and even co-writing a top 40 song while in Hurricane, not to mention his co-writing credit on Foreigner's current A/C hit 'When It Comes To love'.

Meh, they probably just threw him and his fans a bone, right Gb?

Seeing as most of his career has been spent singing material he helped write rather than reciting the Greatest Hits from the 80s, in a band he helped create before his tenure in Foreigner, not to mention the fact that English is his first language and he is no problem being on hand to write and create with his current band, not 5000 miles away singing Air Supply covers or duets with teenage teenyboppers, I don't think throwing him a bone even has to be considered.

[Michigan Girl]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

+1. I'm almost willing to say that Kelly is a better fit for Foreigner than Arnel is for Journey.

Since so many people bash my favorite band of all time, (Journey) I felt it was my turn to take a shot. I'm almost willing to say Pineda is a better fit for Journey than Perry would be today.

That's a bold statement

He's an ass!!

[Red13JoePa]

He was on MTV in the 80s, and now has cowritten a song that charted! Hell let's reassign sole credit for I Want To Know What Love Is to him!


In reality though, he's not that much different than Pineda, hardly anyone knew who either was before.

[steveo777]

Kelly and Arnel are coming from totally different situations. One is a cover singer while the other has a rock and roll resume, having been on MTV in the 80s and even co-writing a top 40 song while in Hurricane, not to mention his co-writing credit on Foreigner's current A/C hit 'When It Comes To love'.

Meh, they probably just threw him and his fans a bone, right Gb?

Seeing as most of his career has been spent singing material he helped write rather than reciting the Greatest Hits from the 80s, in a band he helped create before his tenure in Foreigner, not to mention the fact that English is his first language and he is no problem being on hand to write and create with his current band, not 5000 miles away singing Air Supply covers or duets with teenage teenyboppers, I don't think throwing him a bone even has to be considered.

Damn, boy....you really know how to twist that knife!

[Don]

He was on MTV in the 80s, and now has cowritten a song that charted! Hell let's reassign sole credit for I Want To Know What Love Is to him!


In reality though, he's not that much different than Pineda, hardly anyone knew who either was before.

Hey Joe, I agree with that. Like I said earlier he has more experience than Arnel, that's all.
Hansen did have a Top 40 hit with Hurricane even though it was over 20 years ago. Obviously, past glories are just that, the past.

I'm on to You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DssSCNufJ5U

[LtVanish]

Tickets were going for $10 for this concert, still impressive that many people showed up though!

[Everett]

Not bad at all for a tribute band.

No Gramm, no Foreigner

For a band with no youtube sob story or built in fan base of third world denizens, it's not bad at all.

LMAO ...it's friggin great!!

+1. I'm almost willing to say that Kelly is a better fit for Foreigner than Arnel is for Journey.

Since so many people bash my favorite band of all time, (Journey) I felt it was my turn to take a shot. I'm almost willing to say Pineda is a better fit for Journey than Perry would be today.

That's a bold statement

He's an ass!!

well duh

[Rip Rokken]

Kelly... has a rock and roll resume, having been on MTV in the 80s and even co-writing a top 40 song while in Hurricane...

I just got the last Hurricane CD Liquifury in yesterday. It's been on my to-get list ever since it came out, and I finally ordered it last month. Didn't realize it was coming from Moscow, so I had to wait a month for it to get to me... LOL. Hey, anything to support free enterprise in the old Soviet bloc.

Anyway, popped it in and haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but there is some kick-A JAM on it! "Heart Made of Stone" is a killer track with Jay Schellen laying down the thunder all the way thru, and Kelly is unstoppable. The production seems a little weak, but it still ROCKS.

[Don]

Foreigner's video for WICTL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-BVAISe ... re=related

[Glenn]

Tickets were going for $10 for this concert, still impressive that many people showed up though!

and not to mention that a lot of people came to this for the rodeo.

I'm not at all excited about this at all. I mean, good for Foreigner, but they did not draw the 16,000 all on there own.


A lot of folks in San Antonio are gonna take the family to the rodeo for 10 bucks.

[Michigan Girl]

Tickets were going for $10 for this concert, still impressive that many people showed up though!

and not to mention that a lot of people came to this for the rodeo.

I'm not at all excited about this at all. I mean, good for Foreigner, but they did not draw the 16,000 all on there own.
A lot of folks in San Antonio are gonna take the family to the rodeo for 10 bucks.

I would've gone to see this line-up for 10 bucks easy~ without the Rodeo, but I see what
you're saying. It's like the Journey, Cheap Trick, Heart, Night Ranger etc. argument...who
was there for whom?!?!