A classic rock band is reuniting with its original singer while its current frontman faces international “issues.”
Foreigner will be touring with Lou Gramm in Latin America this spring as a “guest” while vocalist Kelly Hansen sits out. Gramm, a Rochester native who currently lives in Webster, N.Y., is the original voice of Foreigner hits like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Feels Like the First Time.”
“Some issues have forced me to limit appearances outside of the USA this year, and this means, unfortunately, I will miss Foreigner’s South American run,” Hansen said in a statement. “However, our incredible bandmate Luis Maldonado has been recording some of our hits in Spanish and he will be handling most of the vocals along with Lou Gramm who will be guesting with Foreigner for those shows. I know they will smash it!”
Hansen has not elaborated on the “issues” he’s dealing with, but a rep for Foreigner similarly told Ultimate Classic Rock that Hansen won’t perform in Canada with Foreigner this fall because “circumstances prohibit Kelly from spending too much time outside of the U.S.” Geordie Brown, who played the male lead in a 2018 workshop production of “Juke Box Hero, the Musical,” will replace Hansen on the upcoming Canadian tour dates.
Gramm left Foreigner in 1990 and again in 2002, but has periodically reunited with the band including at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in October. He also made a surprise appearance at a Foreigner concert in Florida earlier this month.
Foreigner’s international tour dates include shows in Mexico and South America between April 28 and May 10. Summer concerts include an Aug. 7 show with Hansen at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg before heading to Canada in October and November.
Founding Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones is not expected to make any appearances as he stopped performing due to Parkinson’s disease. Jones, 80, and Gramm, 74, were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
Hansen, 63, has been Foreigner’s lead singer since 2005.
Gramm is currently set to retire this year. His final concert is expected to be a hometown show with the Lou Gramm All-Stars at Batavia Downs on Aug. 1.
