By Jim Barber
When the music you create and perform becomes iconic; when it becomes the soundtrack of one, two, or even three generations of fans. When the band you built to write and record those songs can still play to enthralled crowds in arenas and festival stadiums throughout North America and beyond – and when it can continue to do so five decades after coming into being, well, that’s beyond special.
It’s remarkable, amazing, and a testament to the power of compelling art, dynamic performances and a continually high level of energy, passion and dedication to craft. Since bridging the gap between the U.K. and the U.S.A. by incorporating brilliant musical creators from both continents in what was, at the time, a very novel enterprise, the rock band Foreigner has withstood the slings and arrows of an ever-changing music industry, seismic alterations in the way people ‘consume’ music, multiple lineup changes, and even time itself, persevering to the point where today, as we are nearly two months into 2026, the band is set to embark on yet another ambitious international tour – 50 years after coming into being.
The brainchild of veteran British musician/songwriter Mick Jones (previously in Spooky Tooth), Foreigner was composed of talented, experienced musicians from each side of the Atlantic, constructed as a deliberate melodic bridge between two musical legacies in hopes of creating a hybrid of the best of both worlds. Considering it’s been 50 years, tens of millions of records sold, thousands of sold-out concerts, iconic songs that have become embedded into the firmament of popular culture throughout the world, it’s safe to say Foreigner can be considered nothing short of a rousing success.
The 81-year-old Jones has been unable to tour for a couple of years due to health issues (heart problems, and since 2023 Parkinson’s), but he is still involved in every aspect of the band, including ensuring that the musicians he hires are not only at the top of their game, but can gel well together to replicate the sort of indescribable chemistry that has made Foreigner concerts must see events for the last 50 years.
At present, the roster is anchored by bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio), who was brought in by Jones as sort of a co-music director/producer when he brought the band out of mothballs in 2004. Keyboardist Michael Bluestein joined in 2008, followed by guitarist Bruce Watson in 2011 and drummer Chris Frazier a year later. Kelly Hansen departed as the band’s frontman after 20 years last year, his place taken by Luis Maldonado, who had been in the band since 2021. Second guitarist John Roth joined when Luis made his move to centre stage.
As testament not only to the continued popularity of Foreigner, but also their versatility as a live musical entity, the band is playing in essentially three different formats to begin their jam-packed 2026 touring schedule: as an acoustic four-piece ensemble, with the full lineup alongside a professional symphony orchestra, then taking the lineup to Europe, before returning for a summer co-headlining tour alongside fellow American rock legends, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Squeezed in between the symphony shows and the European tour is a run of very special dates in Florida from April 17 to April 23 which will see the band celebrate the 40th anniversary of their most successful studio album, 4, joined onstage by iconic founding Foreigner vocalist/songwriter Lou Gramm. But more about that last part in a moment.
Watson, who has now racked up 15 years and more than 1,000 shows as a member of Foreigner, said he and his bandmates love the opportunities they get to play in different venues and different configurations, citing the intimacy and flexibility offered by the acoustic shows happening at a number of ski resorts in Colorado (tough gig!!) Watson is joined in these shows by new lead vocalist Luis Maldonado (read MLM’s feature interview with him here https://www.musiclifemagazine.net/maldonado-relishes-role-as-hall-of-fame-band-foreigners-new-vocalist), Pilson and Bluestein.
“It’s a chance to sort of show off the vocals and the vocal harmonies a bit more. The format is pushing those more up front. And I think we all love that kind of stuff. The show and the playing is a little more improvisational too. It’s a little less structured, to where we can go off the normal song structure a bit,” said Watson from his home in Los Angeles.
After their run of Colorado ski resorts, the full band will reconvene in Las Vegas for a residency at the Venetian Hotel alongside a full orchestra from March 6 to March 14, which will then travel around California playing shows, culminating in a performance March 22 with the San Diego Symphony.
“We’ve been playing shows with orchestras every year for a few years now. So we’ve done enough to know what to expect when going in. Obviously, the orchestra is doing all the work and all the rehearsing they need to do, and we already really know the stuff and we play well together as a band, but we still do have to have a couple of pretty important rehearsals with the orchestra, especially for this run of shows. And that’s because we’re doing something we’ve never done before, where in the middle of the show we’re going to do a little segment where it’s just a string quartet and us on stage. So that’s going to be very special and very intimate sounding, with these strings, which is going to be super cool, but it also requires a little bit of extra rehearsal,” he explained.
“We realize that there is a little less freedom for us as a band, because we’ve got this whole big professional orchestra playing along with us, and we’ve learned to adapt over the years. It’s not like it was when we first started doing these orchestral shows I think about 10 years ago in Switzerland. There was just this culture clash between a rock band and the classical musical entity which was kind of fun to observe. I think there were adjustments that had to be made on both sides. They had to loosen up a bit and we had to be just a touch more, I don’t want to say respectful, but a little more buttoned up. It was just funny to see the differences but also cool to work through them. I mean, we like to have fun always, all the time, but they were very serious, which is cool – that’s why they’re so excellent. It was a funny interaction, but now I think more people are used to seeing these sorts of events. So many rock bands have been doing orchestral shows that we’re all kind of used to the process now. But it’s still a lot of fun.”
For a long time, while there wasn’t necessarily estrangement or conflict between band founder Mick Jones and the rest of the original, classic lineup, his new version of Foreigner, anchored for much of the past two decades by bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein and recently departed frontman Kelly Hansen, carried on the band’s legacy, performing more than 100 shows a year, to full houses and rapt audiences throughout North America and beyond.
But over the last few years, original members such as the aforementioned Gramm, as well as drummer Dennis Elliott, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald (who died in 2022), and keyboardist Al Greenwood, and bassist Rick Wills, began to be incorporated in tours, to great acclaim.
Watson said it’s been remarkably heartening to have the chance to play alongside the people who basically created the Foreigner legacy for excellent musicianship, eminently memorable song stylings and stage craft.
“We did a tour eight or nine years ago, called Double Vision and More where we brought out this version of the band with the original guys. I was fortunate enough to play on stage with all the original guys – with Rick Wills, Al Greenwood, Dennis Elliott, Ian MacDonald, Mick and Lou. They were doing their own set, but Mick wanted me on as a second guitar player, so I was able to be inside of that groove with all those guys,” he said.
“And I still get goosebumps talking about that because I felt how powerful the chemistry was between those guys. It was a different kind of chemistry from the current band. These are all unique human beings and everyone has different feelings, but there was something really special about playing those songs alongside those guys, which has actually helped me and the other guys in the current band. Another thing we bring to the performance of these songs is that we have that perspective of and the feelings of the original players to draw on. And with Lou, I mean, what can I say. When we do shows with Lou now, we have so much fun. He’s so great. There’s just mutual respect all the way round. It’s special doing shows with Lou and it’s cool to see how Lou and Luis have developed a really great relationship. I know that Lou really respects Luis and approves and supports the way he sings the songs. And of course, we all just have so much respect for Lou Gramm. So, everything’s just so great right now.”
Serendipity brought Watson, who had carved out a reputation as an excellent ‘hired gun’ and studio musician, into the Foreigner fold in the first place. When Jones’ health became more and more challenging in the early part of the 2010s, he was brought in to essentially fill in when Jones was not able to play, but also augment and reinforce Jones’ performances when he could. Fifteen years later, and with the retirement of Jones from live shows due to the progressive nature of his Parkinson’s disease, Watson is now one of the trusted carriers of the Foreigner flame.
“In 2011, Foreigner was touring with Journey and Night Ranger and Mick Jones developed some health issues, and he had to pull off the road very suddenly. At the time, the drummer of Foreigner, Mark Schulman and I were friends, and I think Mark put my name forward very strongly in a very short window of time, as a good fit stylistically. At the time, they were asking if maybe I could come out and cover for two weeks. I was like, ‘wow, yeah, I get to play with Foreigner for two weeks!’ But then two weeks turned into another week, and then another couple of weeks and then the year ended and the new year started and they said, ‘hey, Mick’s really not ready to come back yet, do you think you could come out and help us for a bit at the start of the year.’ I said, ‘absolutely, another month would be great.’ That other month turned into another year,” Watson said of his entry into the Foreigner musical family.
“Mick did return for about a year, and it was very uncharted waters for all of us. There was a lot of uncertainty swirling around the whole thing. But when Mick came back, he just enjoyed having me around and said that he wanted me to stay. I had come, at that point, to understand what a great thing, a great organization and experience Foreigner is, so I said yes. None of this was anything I planned for. I didn’t ever say that I wanted to go audition for a classic rock band. I was doing my sessions in L.A. and I was going along nicely. I wasn’t looking for any of this, but it’s been a pretty interesting turn of events that seems to have worked out for all parties.
“I’m really grateful for everything that’s happened. It’s turned out to be a deeper and better experience that I would have ever thought. And also it’s been more demanding over the years than I ever imagined. I have never toured this heavily, so it’s been super demanding. But also so rewarding because of the personnel involved, the management, Mick Jones, and more recently being around Lou and the original guys. It’s been such a great relationship with them all. And then finally there’s the opportunity to play this music every night. I mean, I’ve learned to live a double life where I’m still, in my head, I’m still a big fan of this music because before I joined the band, I was a listener. So I still have a view of this music through the lens of a fan, always. But also, I am able to present the music to the fans as a member of the band. There really aren’t many situations that are this great, and because I am still a fan, I bring that level of excitement and appreciation for the music to each show. I love it as much as the people in the audience, and I want to enjoy it and rock out as much as they do.”
Because of the rushed nature of his initial involvement with Foreigner, Watson did admit that the first few shows playing such beloved, such well-known and iconic songs as ‘Hot Blooded,’ “Dirty White Boy,’ ‘Feels Like the First Time,’ ‘Urgent’ and “I Want to Know What Love Is,’ was more a source of angst than pleasure.
“Actually the first couple of times playing with those guys weren’t really all that fun because it was a very sudden situation and I didn’t have any time to really wrap my head around the significance of it all. It was actually kind of rough. It was more on the stressful side than the enjoyable side. But the cool thing is, after all these years, and I am not being disingenuous here when I say that I still do get, like, little goosebumps here and there playing those songs. The way we play together is so authentic. Every night, there’s no calling it in. We use no tracks, of course, no clicks or anything like that, it’s just all real, all night. Each show is like a living, breathing entity. But to answer your question, in the beginning, I didn’t get goosebumps, I got beads of sweat. Now, I just get this rush from some of these songs, even though we’ve played them hundreds and hundreds of times,” Watson said, explaining why he believes, even though there are no original members in the band, that Foreigner continues to be a top concert draw, and its songs still have so much relevance.
“We keep going back to a lot of the same places year after year, but we’re also playing new places all the time, so something is definitely working. You start with all these amazing songs, of course, but it’s not just the same people coming back year after year. We’re seeing more and more younger people, in their 20s who are coming on their own, not just tagging along with their parents. And they love it. I think the reason is because we’re not faking it. If it looks like we’re having fun, we truly are. We’re fully engaged with the music, but also with the performance and with the audience. I just think people can feel that we’re very present playing the song and we mean it. For us in the band, even when you get tired, with all the planes and buses and travel, you can be physically and mentally tired, but we get recharged playing the songs. I think people keep coming back because they feel that everything we’re doing onstage is genuine.”
Vocalist Maldonado originally joined Foreigner in 2021 as a replacement for outgoing long-time member Thom Gimbel, and was mostly used for his prowess on the guitar. But Foreigner mastermind Mick Jones and the rest of the band knew he had some impressive vocal stylings, and when Hansen chose to leave the band in 2025, Maldonado was tapped as his replacement.
“It was sad to see Kelly go, for sure. He’d been such a big part of the band for so long and really helped keep the legacy going. And this was something he wanted to do, it’s not like he was forced out for any reason. It’s something he chose for his life. It’s what he wanted to do, so everyone’s happy for him that he’s in a place that he’s chosen and that he’s happy and doing great. But on the other side, having Luis in the band, and him stepping into that role does have an element of fresh energy to it. He’s definitely a different human being than Kelly and he’s a different singer. He’s also a really killer musician and guitar player – one of the best I’ve ever been around. I mean, I can’t deny that just having his enthusiasm in the band is really, really inspiring. His energy level is just extraordinary. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he develops as a frontman,” Watson said, adding that there’s also another, even newer addition to Foreigner in the person of second touring guitarist John Roth, who came on board in late 2025 to allow Maldonado to focus on his frontman duties.
“He’s wonderful. He’s been playing for many years with Winger and with Mickey Thomas and Jefferson Starship. I gotta tell you, having Luis as my guitar partner for four years was amazing, and I was a little dejected when he transitioned to lead vocalist because I thought we’re never going to be able to reach that level of musical excellence as a band. For me personally, to be able to groove with another guitar player is a very special relationship. I was really sad to let go of that with Luis. But the new guy has a really great feel. He has a really great voice too, which was important to us. He’s a really, excellent singer and on top of all this, he’s the nicest, funniest guy. We scored well getting him. And so on it goes, this really great chemistry Mick is able to find with this band, because he has brought everyone into Foreigner from day one.
“Mick Jones has always been at the helm. He’s the one who put the band together in the beginning. He found the personnel and put the first version of Foreigner together. And he continues to do that to this day. He’s handpicked every person in the band. I’ve played hundreds of gigs with Mick. Jeff Pilson has probably played thousands of gigs with Mick since he helped bring the band back together [in 2004]. And I know it’s worked all these years because all of the original guys condone and support how we represent the songs they originally recorded.”
2026 marks the 50th anniversary of when Jones formed Foreigner, and the tour throughout the spring and summer will be celebrating that legacy.
“When I started Foreigner in 1976, I never could have imagined that these songs would carry us through 50 years and still resonate with audiences around the world. This anniversary is a celebration not just of the music, but of the fans who have been with us every step of the way,” said Jones in a press release announcing the 2026 touring plans.
For more information on Foreigner and all their upcoming shows, visit https://www.foreigneronline.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for more than 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his community. Contact him at bigjim1428@hotmail.com.
