Two years after launching a “farewell tour,” Foreigner is still booking new concerts — including a newly announced show in Central New York.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group will perform Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Turning Stone Event Center in Verona, N.Y. No opening act has been named for the concert, which begins at 8 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Friday, April 25, at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster. An artist presale will begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. and a TS Rewards presale will begin Thursday, also at 10 a.m.
But a big question remains: Will any original Foreigner members be in the lineup?
According to a press release, Foreigner is touring with Kelly Hansen, Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein, Bruce Watson, Chris Frazier, and Luis Maldonado. Hansen has been the band’s lead singer since 2005, but due to “residency issues” won’t appear on upcoming international tour dates; Maldonado will share vocals with original frontman Lou Gramm in Latin America and “Juke Box Hero, the Musical” star Geordie Brown in Canada.
Gramm previously said he would retire this year, but recently told Billboard that he now plans to perform with Foreigner in 2026 to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be at the Turning Stone Resort Casino show, but he lives just 100 miles away in Webster, N.Y.
Gramm reunited with former Foreigner bandmates keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Rick Wills in October when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the time, Greenwood and Wills made it sound like they wanted to do more shows with Foreigner, but Gramm was the only original member who performed at the induction ceremony.
Co-founding guitarist Mick Jones is the only original member still in Foreigner full-time, though he no longer performs due to Parkinson’s disease.
Gramm left Foreigner in 1990 and again in 2002, but said their hall of fame honor softened his past frustrations. Gramm made a surprise appearance at a Foreigner concert in Florida earlier this 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.”
Gramm was previously expected to reunite with Foreigner at the Syracuse amphitheater in 2018, but he canceled at the last minute due to a “medical issue.”
While it remains unclear if Gramm or any other original members will appear the Turning Stone concert, one thing’s for sure: The band’s music still rocks. Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” recently topped 1 billion streams on Spotify, and other hits like “Hot Blooded,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Cold As Ice” remain popular.
The Turning Stone concert is Foreigner’s first Syracuse-area appearance since a 2023 performance at the Empower FCU Amphitheater. Foreigner is also scheduled to perform June 6 at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, N.Y.
