Foreigner hits the road again
Band bringing a jukebox worth of arena rock hits to the Northlands
Kelly Hansen is still impressed by the size of the machine surrounding him.
“There are a lot of different areas to it as well,” the lead singer of Foreigner marvels, enjoying three hours of interviews before heading off for a dentist appointment. “This summer, for example, we had nine buses and seven semis, along with 100 people working on the tour. The minutiae and logistics are staggering.”
Wrapped in the comforting embrace of one of the bestselling bands of all time, Hansen knows what’s expected of him and is more than happy to deliver. Flanked by guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones — the only original member — he applies his impressive pipes to hits like I Want To Know What Love Is, Hot Blooded, Feels Like the First Time and Urgent, just to name a few. Stepping into the shoes of former lead vocalist Lou Gramm, Hansen sees himself as someone who keeps fidelity to the songs while adding something of his own personality to the mix.
“I had to have the conversation with myself,” he says. “I’m serving the song, not trying to take it over. I’m not the original guy. It’s great that I have this amazing catalogue to work with though, and there are things I can add. I have my own shoes as well.”
Foreigner is on the road celebrating its 40th anniversary as a going concern, releasing a new CD, titled 40, to mark the occasion. The band has reached out to former members like Ian McDonald, Dennis Elliott and Gramm for featured performances at a number of the gigs, proving that some bands can actually make amends with past members.
We spoke with Hansen about the tour, which brings them to Northlands Coliseum on Thursday evening.
Q It’s nice to see so many past members taking part in Foreigner’s 40th anniversary tour, especially Lou Gramm.
A I know — just this year he sat in, and he may have a few more appearances coming up. Lou left such an indelible mark on the band and he did an amazing job. It’s great to celebrate the landmark with him and the others.
Q Look at you guys, being adults in your work relationships — maybe some other classic rock bands could take a lesson from Foreigner in how to get along.
A Listen, when I hear about rap beefs, or hip-hop songs about fighting each other, it makes me cringe. Is that what we’re here for? I became a singer so that I could emotionally connect with people, not create songs about silly garbage. It blows me away, but that’s what’s going on.
Q I’m thinking more of bands like Van Halen or Pink Floyd, where ex-members can’t deal with each other at all.
A Well, you have to realize that a lot of big bands have strong personalities, and when they want to move forward they often have different ideas of what’s best for the group, so there’s a clash.
Q After you joined, you were able to record one album with the band, 2009’s Can’t Slow Down. Have you ever wanted to just throw out the back catalogue and concentrate on the new music that you’ve made with the group?
A We have done that, but the majority of people come to see us for the songs they love. If you forget that, and decide that you’re going to serve yourself rather than the audience, you need to ask yourself why you’re in the business. I’m in it to communicate with people. I don’t want to alienate them by doing only what I want to do.
Q I guess there’s the line between being an entertainer and an artist, and it’s kind of nebulous. Some people understand that the audience’s desires are important, while others are intent about not dwelling on past triumphs.
A I totally hear that. I respect the artist’s right to do what they want, but I have a different philosophy. Personally, I want to hear a song that I love done the way that I’ve always heard it. That’s how I perform as well — I mean, there’s room for improvisation, of course, and bringing more to the song. It doesn’t have to sound exactly like the original record.
Q With Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, there’s a good chance you won’t even recognize the old songs.
A That’s perfectly fine, because with Dylan you understand that this is part of what you get with him.
Q In the case of Foreigner, maybe those songs are best heard close to the original arrangement, because they’re simply tight pop songs that can’t be messed with.
A That’s an oversimplification if you ask me, but you have a right to believe that.
Q No, I want you to call me out on it if you think I’m being snide in some way! Why do you see that as an oversimplification?
A Unless you’ve been to one of the shows, you really won’t know. We do a lot of things that add to
the full presentation — there are transitions and medleys, and different sections that we put in. We create an ebb and flow, bringing the audience to a peak at certain points. It takes an awful lot of work to perfect it, a great deal of creativity and energy.
Q What is Foreigner up to these days? Are you working on new recordings?
A It’s tough to make records these days, because you put all of this effort into it and it’s free on the internet the next day, or people just download the one or two songs that they want. We’re looking for new and different ways to do things — we can’t really pretend that it’s 1977 and press vinyl, because that’s a money loser. At this point, we’re working on one or two songs at a time, and finding ways to get to people. That seems to be the future.