It feels like the first time for a classic rock band.
Foreigner kicked off its South American tour dates Monday with Luis Maldonado as the new lead singer. The guitarist and vocalist, who has been a member of the group since 2021, stepped up while frontman Kelly Hansen is unable to perform international concerts due to “residency issues.”
Ultimate Classic Rock reports Maldonado, who has been recording Foreigner hits in Spanish, handled most of the lead vocals in Mexico City. Lou Gramm, the original voice of Foreigner, joined the band on stage for four songs, including a duet of “I Want to Know What Love Is” with Maldonado singing the first verse in Spanish.
Maldonado and Gramm are expected to share singing duties for the rest of Foreigner’s Latin American run, which continues through May 10.
Foreigner’s touring lineup typically does not include any original members. Hansen, the band’s lead vocalist since 2005, performs with Maldonado, Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein, Bruce Watson, and Chris Frazier. Co-founding guitarist Mick Jones is still a full-time member, but no longer performs due to Parkinson’s disease.
Hansen has not elaborated on why he is unable to perform shows outside of the U.S., but upcoming shows in Canada will feature guest vocals from “Juke Box Hero, the Musical” star Geordie Brown. Brown played the male lead in a 2018 workshop of the Foreigner musical, which is expected to go into production next year.
Foreigner’s upcoming U.S. tour dates include two Upstate New York concerts on Aug. 7 at the Erie County Fair and Sept. 20 at the Turning Stone Event Center in Verona. It’s unclear if Gramm, a Rochester native who currently lives in Webster, will appear at either show.
Gramm previously said he would retire this year, but recently said that he now plans to perform with Foreigner in 2026 to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. Gramm left Foreigner in 1990 and again in 2002, but said their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honor softened his past frustrations. Gramm made a surprise appearance at a Foreigner concert in Florida last month before agreeing to more shows.
“It’s a hackneyed sentiment, but it’s true — life’s too short,” Gramm told Billboard. “And a lot of the things that are blown up and made big deals about are easy enough to get over and humble yourself and reach out a little bit, ‘cause what you’ve been mad about for the past 20 years is not a monumental thing.”
Jones and Gramm, who are also in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, formed Foreigner in 1976. The band released nine albums featuring hits like “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Hot Blooded,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Cold As Ice.”
Foreigner plays the NY State FairCharlie Miller
