By Jim Barber
When 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Foreigner begin their cross-Canada tour in October, there will be a new face, voice and presence at centre stage, belting their way through iconic classic rock masterworks such as ‘Hot Blooded,’ ‘Cold As Ice,’ ‘Feels Like The First Time,’ and ‘Juke Box Hero’ – sort of.
Taking over from Kelly Hansen, whose energy, vocal prowess and dedication helped propel the band to new heights throughout the last decade and a half before he steps down in the fall, is Luis Maldonado, who has been in the band since 2021, quickly becoming a fan favourite and key contributor. So, really, he’s just moving over a few metres on the stage.
Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that, as he will be responsible for presenting some of the most beloved rock songs in music history, to a fan base that is not only loyal and resilient, but growing not just in terms of numbers, but in the breadth of its demographic.
So, no pressure, Mr. Maldonado.
Formed by British guitarist/songwriter Mick Jones in 1976 in New York City, Foreigner blasted onto airwaves and into the hearts of millions of fans from the moment their self-titled debut album hit record stores in 1977. Powered by Jones’ acumen for compelling melodies, rockin’ riffs and by the inimitable voice of original lead singer Lou Gramm, the band would remain a constant on radio and video stations, as well as the charts, for more than a decade.
After a hiatus, Jones reconstituted the band in the early 2000s, bringing aboard veteran bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio) as his right-hand man, with former Hurricane vocalist Hansen stepping ably into Gramm’s spot. A few changes to the lineup have ensued, but through it all, the consistent selling power of the band as a live attraction, the amount of airplay the hit songs still get on both terrestrial and online platforms has ensured both the band’s legacy as well as its present and future.
Maldonado has a pretty impressive resume himself as a musician and songwriter. For a number of years, he was the lead guitarist in the Grammy Award winning band Train, and has also worked collaboratively with the likes of former Deep Purple and current Black Country Communion singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, the late Lisa Marie Presley, John Waite, and Michael Schenker (UFO, The Scorpions, MSG).
As a studio musician/arranger, he’s worked alongside noted producers such as Steve Lillywhite [U2, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel], Patrick Leonard [Madonna, Elton John, Bryan Adams], Linda Perry [4 Non Blondes, Gwen Stefani, Pink] and Cee-Lo Green [Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob]. With that pedigree, he most likely had been on Jones’ radar for years before the fateful invitation to join the band came after the retirement of longtime sax player/guitarist/vocalist Thom Gimbel in 2021.
“I was in a band called Train in the United States for a number of years. I had started a long time before working with the singer [Pat Monahan] as a writer on his solo record. And then I wrote some of the Train stuff and it just evolved from there. Before that I was with Lisa Marie Presley and I was with John Waite, who is still a great friend of mine, before her. So I’d worked with several great artists. Around 2020 we had the whole lockdown thing so nobody was playing. Nobody was doing anything. Near the end of 2020 I got a call from Michael Bluestein [Foreigner’s keyboardist since 2008]. What a lot of people don’t know is that I’ve known Micheal for years. I’ve known him since my early days in San Francisco. We came up as young musicians in the 1990s there, so we’ve always had this great relationship for many years. He called me out of the blue and said that Thom was leaving. Thom was a very long-standing member of the band [since 1992] and he’s a great guy, a very talented guy. He had had enough and wanted to move on. And, you know, good on him. Everybody was very supportive of his decision, but that left a chair open. I got the call from Michael and decided to go jam with those guys, just to see,” he said.
“They didn’t say anything about it being an audition or anything, they just said, hey let’s just get together and play. Let’s just see how it feels, which is probably the most natural way to do it. While there I ended up talking to [bassist/musical director/producer] Jeff Pilson and we talked for a little bit and I found myself a couple of weeks later at Third Encore Studios [where Foreigner was rehearsing] in Los Angeles and we went through a handful of songs. I just remember thinking to myself, ‘holy crap, this is amazing! Oh my God, the power of these songs is awesome!’ And all the band’s management was there and Mick was kind of watching from a distance. It was really cool. So I played with them again and then Mick called me and we talked for a good long time on the phone. He said one of the coolest things I that anyone in this business has ever said to me. He said, ‘listen Luis, if you commit to me, I’ll commit to you.’ I was just blown away by that. And I was, like, ‘aye aye captain!’ I got to do a number of shows with him still being able to play, and did some TV with him that first year out of COVID. And we’ve just kept going. He was able to show up mainly to the major cities because he was already having some issues and sadly he’s not able to tour any more. But he’s still making decisions. And one of those decisions was me.”
While Maldonado modestly chalks up his being invited into the band, and soon thereafter being elevated to the role of lead vocalist to serendipity, it’s more a case of knowing what to do with the opportunity when it arises. A lifetime of hard work, dedication to craft and compelling talent opened the door.
“It’s all kind of been organic, very serendipitous, as you said, this whole changeover. It’s been really cool. I had absolutely no agenda to be the singer, even when I knew Kelly was leaving. I did not ever think about it. I was approached within the organization by several different people and I was hesitant, not because of any lack of ability or being worried because of how great the band is. It was that I wanted to make sure it was because it was the right way to go, naturally. I really do believe in serendipitous things and I felt like it had to be organic. It had to be something that, as a collective, we all believed in and were all supportive of. It just had to be right.
“This decision has been over a year in the making. I was doing these events with the lead guitarist Bruce Watson and Michael Bluestein, just these little acoustic jams at some local breweries. And we would just set up, played some Foreigner songs, played some covers. I would sing some songs, Bruce would sing some songs, Michael would too and it was like this big party with the guys from Foreigner, playing some Foreigner songs, and it just started growing and growing and growing. Eventually I started singing more of the songs, especially more of the Foreigner songs and it just became a thing, very organically. I guess everybody saw that I had this, I guess, ability to sing lead. I was a lead singer in my own band when I was first signed to a record deal, but it was nothing compared to this level. So, I was an actual singer and I guess everybody saw that. People started coming to me one on one, little by little with the idea. And then Phil [Carson, former Atlantic Records VP who worked closely with the likes of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin including managing some of them] our manager came to me, then Stewart Young the other manager came to me and the ultimately Mick came to me with the proposal. Honestly, I wouldn’t have considered it if I didn’t have everybody’s support, but I did. But what made it absolutely really special and made me comfortable stepping into it was knowing that Mick believed. That’s the reason I’m here because Mick believed enough to say, hey man, you’re the dude if you want to be the dude. And I can’t stress this enough. It’s not about me, it’s about the songs, and I really mean that. It’s about this band. It’s about continuing to move forward with the power of these songs and that people continue to connect with them. And I think we’re doing a good job of that.”
Obviously, Maldonado had heard of Foreigner and was a fan of their music way before he even dreamed of being part of the band.
“My favourite songs were ‘Cold As Ice,’ and ‘Feels Like the First Time.’ When I first heard Foreigner, those were my favourite songs. And I gotta admit, they still are. They are still my favourite songs, but it’s developed more and more. Once you start getting into the catalogue, once you start digging into every album you start to think, man I hope we can do ‘Spellbinder’ one day, or ‘Star Rider.’ There’s all kinds of amazing stuff. There’s ‘Blue Morning,’ which has become a big favourite of mine, which we do every so often, and also ‘Long Way From Home.’ There’s not really any bad songs. ‘Break It Up’ was also a big favourite of mine and we do that one every now and then,” he said, adding that because of the iconic nature of so many of the band’s hit songs, they are limited on a given night as to how many deeper cuts they can add to the set list.
“It does get difficult. If we were to do a residency, like in Vegas or Atlantic City or somewhere where we’re there for a week or two, we’ll pull out some deep cuts like ‘Break It Up’ or ‘Girl On The Moon,’ or ‘Say You Will.’ We actually pulled out ‘That Was Yesterday’ when we did the Mexico/South America tour. But it is very difficult because Foreigner is one of those bands like The Eagles, or Journey or Fleetwood Mac that has had an incredible amount of material in the Top 30 right? And people know every single one of those songs. With Foreigner there’s, like 17 or 18 Top 30 hits and many of those were Top 20 and even Top 10. So, which one do we leave out, because we can’t do them all. To make it easy, for the most part we play the most popular ones and if we can, we cram one more song, or change one out for a different one on a given night. We’re always trying to find ways to get some of the other stuff that most people haven’t heard live into the set. And when we can, it’s pretty exciting for everyone.”
Hansen decided to leave Foreigner after nearly two decades of fronting the resurgent classic rock act. The transition to Maldonado as the new frontman has been seamless.
“Kelly is going right up until October. So we’re doing this for the whole summer together. I mean, it’s pretty cool. I actually get to do a few things vocal wise within the current set. So it’s been awesome. Kelly’s been awesome. We love Kelly. He’s been wonderful. He’s a brother. There’s a lot going on as far as the dynamics and nuance of everybody’s emotions and how we’re handling these summer shows because at one point there’s a lot to do and we’re all really excited as far as what the future holds. But at the same time, one of our family members is leaving us. And as much as we’re excited for him to move on to do the things that he’s been wanting to do, we’re also going to miss the heck out of him,” he said.
At one point over the last couple of years, the current Foreigner tour was being billed as a farewell. But once Maldonado proved he could be a worthy successor to both Hansen and the band’s legendary original vocalist Lou Gramm, the talk of this being it for Foreigner have ceased. It’s onwards and upwards.
Which is quite a remarkable thing when you look at it objectively. A band that has no original members in it, can still play more than 100 shows a year to sold out audiences, in pretty significant venues, with an audience that is actually growing in size, but decreasing in average age – that’s rare. So what is Maldonado’s rationale for how Foreigner can continue to be vibrant, relevant and a consistent draw.
“I think there are a number of reasons. One is the band itself. We understand that the longevity thing is pretty amazing. Believe me, it does not get taken for granted or overlooked. I think one of the strong things about this band is everybody here wants to be here, loves to be here, loves what they do and are very grateful to be part of a legacy that keeps going. I mean, it’s pretty wild when you think of it. It’s a very rare thing. We have something special. There’s not a bunch of Foreigners or Journeys or Paul McCartneys out there. So when a band has something really good, and everybody recognizes it, it becomes really special,” he said, adding that the fans understand the dynamics of change, and how as long as the essence of the music, the quality of the playing, the passion of the performers is still there, they will be too.
“It’s interesting that you used the word ‘generation’ because this band is generational. We’re under no illusion about the band’s history and the importance of Mick and Lou [Gramm]. There’s a generation that has held on to Lou. And then there’s this other generation that holds on to Kelly. And now we’re seeing this whole new crop of younger generations that are embracing the band for what it is right now. So what does that say? It says that the songs are greater than one person. And with that, we’re able to grow and move forward. And luckily, thank goodness, we still have Mick and we still have Lou. [Longtime bassist] Jeff Pilson and I were with Mick a couple of weeks ago in New York, talking about everything and moving forward with lots of new plans. And listen, to be clear, Mick Jones picked every member of this band and did so in such a wonderful way, because he really knows what he is doing. And we’ve also been lucky to do some things with Lou as well. So there’s this great synergy within everyone right now to just serve the songs. The songs are timeless, and everyone involved has a lot of gratitude in their heart.
Jones is indeed the major domo behind everything that Foreigner does, and has done since their formation in the late 1970s. Although he is no longer able to tour due to health reasons, his creative spirit, music industry acumen, songwriting chops and passion for his creation is undaunted and undiminished. Maldonado speaks almost reverently of the man.
“Mick’s still got it. There’s no doubt. Mick picked me to come into this band. He called me and he said some of the most amazing things I think I’d ever heard from any artist. He said, ‘I would absolutely love to stand next to you onstage.’ And he’s picked every single musician since the beginning of this band. He picked Ian [McDonald] he picked Al [Greenwood]. He picked Rick [Wills]. He picked every single person, so obviously he knew what he was doing when he formed this band, when he wrote these songs. The man is as sharp as a tack. So he picked all those original members, and then he picked all the current members, and I don’t think that can be overlooked. Jeff Pilson has been in this band for over 20 years, which is probably longer than any other member. That’s just a fact. Kelly, at this point, has been in the band longer than any member. These guys, including Michael [Bluestein] and Bruce [Watson] and [drummer] Chris [Frazier] are the perfect guys for this band. And it’s because Mick knew to put the right people in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“And that’s proven by the growth of the fans. There are some hardcore fans for sure, and nobody here us under any illusion that there’s also a small percentage of critics out there who don’t think the band is legitimate because there’s no original members on stage. So, you have to ask the question, well do I serve this tiny portion of critics or do I serve the 8,000 or 10,000 people that bought tickets night after night, 100-plus shows every year? Do you see what I mean? There’s something greater at work here. And again, I think all of us recognize that it’s not about only one person. It’s about the songs. And thankfully our captain, Mick Jones, is still at the wheel of the ship, which is awesome. But if the songs weren’t as powerful as they are and as timeless as they are and if there wasn’t a more dedicated, organized group of people onstage and backstage willing to do the work to service those songs, I don’t think we would even be here. We really just serve the songs with everything we’ve got in us. The goal was set well before I got here to make sure that these songs stay alive, and that’s all we can do. And it’s awesome. We’re seeing a whole new demographic of people discovering this band for the first time,.
“And let me tell you a quick story. Last night we did a show in York, Pennsylvania. It was a great show and went off great. After the show, we were having a dinner together and I just said out loud, ‘is it me or did everybody see all the new younger demographic that’s in our audience now, in pretty large numbers. And I mean, noticeably large numbers. Did everybody see that or am I imagining things?’ But we’re all seeing it and we’re seeing it happen in real time, this year in particular. And to what can you attribute it? You attribute it to the strength of the songs – I feel very confident in saying that. And you know what else, it’s happening naturally. Yes there’s some kids who are learning about us from their parents or whatever. But I can tell you, if I tried to show my teenaged daughter any bit of my record collection, her eyes would just glaze over and go, ‘dad, I don’t want to listen to Humble Pie.’ She doesn’t care about what old dad likes. However, and this is wild, she will sometimes come up to me on her own and say ‘hey dad, I just heard this AC/DC song. I like this song called ‘You Shook Me All Night Long.’ I never showed her AC/DC – ever. Or she comes to me with this Duran Duran song. I never showed her Duran Duran. And I will even ask her mother, and her mother didn’t show her those bands. So I do believe the percentages are way higher that these younger people are discovering our stuff on their own. And because of that, it makes it their own. They are proud that they found, you know, AC/DC or Foreigner, or Heart. It’s like when we grew up and we’re talking to our friends about this record that we got or that record.”
One of the proudest early moments in Maldonado’s tenure with Foreigner was being able to re-record two of the biggest hit singles in the band’s history in Spanish, his other main language. The new versions of ‘Urgent’ and the chart-topping powerhouse ballad ‘I Want to Know What Love Is,’ not only generated lots of acclaim from the Spanish-speaking audiences, but those with no familiarity with the language also seemed to love the recordings.
“I remember one of the managers, Stewart, brought it up to me about a year ago and said, quite innocently in conversation, ‘what do you think about doing one of the songs in Spanish? How do you think it would go?’ And I thought the worst it could do was do well in the Spanish markets. ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ is a great song. We had been talking about going to South America that coming year [2024] which we did and one of the things we thought about doing was playing a song in Spanish onstage. But then we thought, let’s record a song in Spanish and we’ll do it as a special release for the South American tour, like a gift to those fans. And it was cool,” he said.
“But I told Stewart that if we were going to do it, we have to get the translation right, because usually songs that are translated from other languages to English, you lose something in the translation, and vice versa. I know Sting did a song in Spanish and I think Madonna did a song in Spanish and things get lost in the translation, the meaning doesn’t come across the same. And people will hear that. There’s implied things and subtle things that don’t mean exactly the same thing from one language to another. I said, if we do it, we’ve gotta do it right. I speak Spanish, I read Spanish, I understand Spanish. So, for me, I had seen enough of what I was talking about happening with other artists so I was adamant that we gotta do it right. We’ve gotta make sure that it’s done right, that it sounds right and that if feels right. Everything had to line up, not just change a word here and there and do a literal translation. And we did that with ‘I Want to Know What Love Is/Quiero Saber Si Es Amo,’ [which also featured vocals by Mexican musician Joy Huerta of the Grammy-winning duo Jesse & Joy]. The fella did a great job in translating the songs, but I had an advantage because obviously I am a Spanish-speaking person.
“When he gave me the first revision I as able to look at things like, no, we can’t, that word is not the same as it is in English. We gotta do something different. I was able to, with a fine-toothed comb, work with him and get a very detailed, super accurate version of it in Spanish. I think we went through four revisions, or something like that. The advantage of understanding Spanish is that, for instance if Sting wanted to do a song, he’d give it to a translator and the translator would give it back to him and Sting would sing what’s there. Well, that didn’t happen because when I got the translation, I was able to get more involved and really focus on getting it right, and were able to get it as close as possible to the original. And we even looked at the way words sounded. We were very, very picky about this because, as I told them, if you want me to do this, it’s gotta be right. And we got it. We recorded that song and, to be honest, I did not expect the massive response that we got. It was really amazing. So we decided to do another one. And, again, the response was incredible. With ‘Urgent’ we did kind of a Spanish/English thing. We did all the verses in Spanish and did the choruses in English. I thought we should just try to be a little creative with it. And it’s also had a tremendous response. I didn’t expect it, but here we are.”
In December, Foreigner fans of all vintages are going to be in for a rare treat as during a short run through the United States, two ‘Lous’ will be onstage at the same time, singing their hearts out as Lou Gramm will front a series of shows which will pay tribute to the deluxe reissue of the band’s most successful album 4, which came out in 1981. The tour also marks a celebration of 50 years since Foreigner was initially founded as a cross-cultural conglomeration of musical talent from the U.K. and the U.S.A. Maldonado is thrilled for the opportunity to share the stage with Gramm, seeing it as another ‘passing the torch moment’ similar to him performing alongside Hansen for the next couple of months.
“We did a run with Lou in Mexico and South America recently back in April and we all had a blast. Lou and I get along and have since we first met. We have a really good time together. We laughed a lot. We talk about music a lot. We have a great time and I love that he’s going to be with us. As much as anybody who’s in the audience when they see him come out, I’m every bit as thrilled and excited as they are. It’s so endearing and so awesome. And to be doing these songs next to him, it’s really amazing. Those shows in December are going to be so cool. I know there’re going to be some unreleased songs on the deluxe edition and we’re also going to be performing 4 in its entirety and Lou’s going to join us for that,” he said.
“Lou’s been so great to me. He’s been very supportive of this whole thing with me. He’s been really great. I expected resistance, as I said before, but within the band and his camp, I’ve had none. And amongst the fans and people who come to the shows and buy the tickets and the merch, a very, very large percentage have been supportive. And it’s awesome. I mean, it’s actually kind of mind blowing. I didn’t expect such a wonderful open arms reception. And also I have to mention Phil and Stewart Young again. I got their support immediately and unanimously and that right there has a lot of weight to it – a tremendous amount of weight because of their background in the music industry. They’re worked with legends, period. I think Robert Plant is on Phil Carson’s speed dial. There’s a high pedigree of experience with these guys. The fact that they were the ones to come to me and say, ‘hey do you want to try this’ was incredible. And then, ultimately, with Mick being the final say on everything and him believing in me, I couldn’t have had a better base to start with. It’s very, very humbling. So, I take all of this very seriously and I want to serve the songs, the fans and the band as best as I can as a singer and as a musician, but also as a human being. I love these guys. These guys are like family, they really are. Foreigner is a real tight group of people that all care about each other. And that’s also very rare in this business too. I’m very grateful to be part of this whole thing.”
For the remainder of the summer and into the fall, Foreigner is playing a combination of State Fairs, outdoor amphitheaters and festivals throughout North America. In Canada, they’re at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver on Aug. 28, Casino Rama in Ontario on Sept. 18, before starting a cross-Canada run with Maldonado as the lead vocalist on Oct. 21 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with stops throughout the Maritimes, a show in Montreal on Oct. 21, before a run through Ontario, including at Slush Puppie Place in Kingston Oct. 29. The run north of the border ends in Kelowna, B.C. on Nov. 7.
“We’re pretty open and transparent about the fact that this is no longer a farewell. We’re not going anywhere. And that has changed because the circumstances have changed. One of the biggest reasons was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We were all onstage together and I think there was this kind of unified front and we realized there’s still a lot to do here, isn’t there? There’s so many more, new people getting into the band now. We really now see Foreigner as being bigger than any one person involved, or any era of the band, and realizing that the songs were the most important part of it. That’s what’s changed. Next year [2026] is already almost completely booked,” Maldonado said.
“We’ve totally changed our minds because there’s so much to do. And we love what we do. We’re going to be doing more shows next year, and then the year following and we’re also going to be releasing different things. We’re going to do some special things. There’s going to be some songs that were never finished that may be finished and released. There might be a thing that Lou and I do together. Who knows? Right now, there’s a lot that is planned and in the works that we’re talking about. It’s almost like we’ve got this open landscape to have a great time in and give people new stuff, new material, new things to look forward to. The band’s having quite a moment right now. And we’re all just very grateful for it.”
For more information on the current tour, as well as updates on the various projects coming down the pipeline, 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 jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
