JUKEBOX HEROES UNPLUGGED
FOREIGNER RETURNS WITH ACOUSTIC VERSIONS OF GREATEST HITS
Meet the new Foreigner, same as the old Foreigner. When the veteran rockers hit town for an acoustic show tonight, they'll have a lineup entirely different from the ones that made the hits, aside from guitarist and leader Mick Jones. But far as Jones is concerned, it still feels like the first time.
“I believe that a good part of our success is still based around the strength of the songs,” Jones said. “Most of this lineup has been together 10 years, and they're very much into it. I feel their dedication and I feel their strength behind me. It's the way I would have always liked the band to be onstage.
“Not to denigrate what we did earlier, but it's good to have a few younger guys involved. It's such a relief after all the years of uncomfortable situations with the chemistry. It's a no-baggage band now. I guess you could call me the direction of the band. I know what I want and I think I've got it now.”
For better or worse, Foreigner largely invented the mainstream, AOR sound that took off in the '80s. But Jones, who formed Foreigner after years in the cult-hero band Spooky Tooth, said that was never his intention.
“I really had no expectations at all, since the only reference point I had was my years with Spooky Tooth. There wasn't any design to be super popular. But I was looking for a certain direction, a sound with the keyboards and a soulful singer who could do the falsetto parts.
“When we did the first Foreigner album I thought, `I'll be happy if we can sell a hundred thousand copies of this,' and it turned out to be the best seller Atlantic Records had. That's when we came to really hang on for the ride. And we came out at the dawn of punk and new wave, so we had to contend with that for a few years.”
Though the current tour is unplugged, they'll be doing a set full of greatest hits.
“We went to Germany a few years back for a radio promotion tour, decided to do it acoustically, and the reaction was great. Now we do a few every year, putting away the Les Pauls and picking up the acoustics. The songs have more of a naivete about them. They sound more like they did when we first came up with the ideas.”
Jones is back on the road after being sidelined by health problems for a few years; he had heart surgery in 2011 and there were complications.
“I'm taking care of myself, not doing anything crazy anymore, just living a calm life and taking it all out onstage,” he said. “I'm living with some dietary restrictions, just common-sense stuff — and no crates of champagne or bottles of liquor backstage. I don't feel like indulging anymore, and the band is pretty healthy. There may be a bottle floating around somewhere, but I never see it.”