In a recent appearance on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Lou Gramm spoke about the potential of performing with Foreigner on their extended farewell tour.
“I said, ‘I’m not sure I would be up for doing that.’ But I said, ‘Talk to me more about it,'” he said of the matter. “[Phil Carson] was telling me that they wanna do a substantial tour of the world, which doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t wanna be out for eight or ten months again without seeing my kids and without being able to drive my cars. I had this planned out that I would wrap up my career in June of next year and then have the summer to play with my cars and see my kids and start the rest of my life. So I’m not sure I wanna go out on the Foreigner farewell tour with the new band. And I told Phil I would think about it. And he says that he will come back to me with the particulars, ’cause they’re going around the world and stuff.”
The singer explained why he didn’t want to go on a long tour again: “I just don’t feel like I wanna travel. I’m not sure that the world is a safe place to be touring right now in the way that the state of the world is. So, I don’t know. I don’t get a real good feeling about doing that. If it was just the States, I would consider it. So I know we’re gonna talk.”
“I also wanna know what my compensation would be. If I put an end to my touring for my career, it wouldn’t be really an end if I was gonna pick up and go out with the new Foreigner for a Foreigner farewell tour. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it. It would be much more interesting to me if it was members of the original Foreigner with augmented instrumentation, like another guitar player or something, rather than go out with another band that calls themselves Foreigner. I have a tough time wrapping my head around that,” Gramm added.
Foreigner has extended its farewell tour through 2025 with its current lineup. It includes lead singer Kelly Hansen, guitarists Bruce Watson and Luis Maldonado, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein, and drummer Chris Frazier. Mick Jones, the only original member still in the band, hasn’t performed with them since 2022 due to his struggle with Parkinson’s disease.
The band is touring without original members, but Al Greenwood seems to like the way other members are performing. “Obviously it’s not the original lineup. But they do a fantastic job, they really stick close to the original songs, so they sound great,” Greenwood shared during another interview. “They perform perfectly. I enjoy doing it, and so does Rick [Wills]. We really had a good time coming out here and doing it,” he added.
Along with Gramm, bassist Rick Wills and drummer Dennis Elliott are also expected to join the band at some shows, including Foreigner’s upcoming Las Vegas residency.
Foreigner will get back on stage on March 13 in Hollywood, Florida. The extended tour continues until October 11. The last show will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
