Half a century in, the legendary rock band is rewriting what it means to endure in music
Five decades is a long time in any industry, but in rock ‘n’ roll where bands burn bright and crash fast 50 years feels almost mythological. Yet here’s Foreigner, still selling out stages, recording new music, expanding into Latin America, and gearing up for a Broadway musical. Not bad for a band that Mick Jones cobbled together in New York back in 1976 after a messy exit from the Leslie West Band.
Jones, now 81 and sidelined from performing since 2022 due to Parkinson’s disease, probably didn’t imagine any of this when he recruited King Crimson alumnus Ian McDonald and Black Sheep frontman Lou Gramm to form what would become one of rock’s most commercially dominant acts. Between 1977 and 1987, Foreigner released seven straight platinum-or-better albums and racked up 14 top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Four of those also climbed to No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The band has now sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and in 2024, finally received its long-overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The songs are the real rockstars
Here’s something that might surprise you: most fans who belt out “I Want to Know What Love Is” at the top of their lungs couldn’t name a single original Foreigner band member. And honestly? That’s kind of the secret weapon. The music was always the headline act.
Manager Phil Carson, who has been with Foreigner since 2004, figured this out during an airplane conversation with a fellow passenger who claimed he’d never heard of the band then proceeded to know every song Carson hummed to him. From that moment on, Carson made the songs the entire marketing strategy. Print ads featured six or seven song titles. A short film built its dialogue entirely around Foreigner lyrics. That creative approach eventually landed the band placements in Happy Gilmore and, more recently, Stranger Things, introducing a whole new generation to the catalog.
A new era of Foreigner
The lineup has shifted dramatically over the years, and the road wasn’t always smooth. Gramm departed in the early ’90s, returned, then left for good in 2003 following health challenges. Jones rebuilt the band around Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson as musical director and Jason Bonham on drums. Hurricane vocalist Kelly Hansen stepped in as frontman in 2005 and held the role for two decades before departing as part of what was announced as a farewell tour.
That farewell, however, took a detour. Guitarist Luis Maldonado, a Guadalajara native who joined in 2021, stepped up as the new lead vocalist, opening doors nobody had anticipated. Foreigner toured Latin America with Maldonado out front and even recorded Spanish-language versions of their biggest hits, including a duet version of “I Want to Know What Love Is” with Joy Huerta of the Latin Grammy-winning duo Jesse & Joy. The band isn’t winding down it’s expanding its map.
Foreigner at 50: what’s actually coming
The anniversary celebration is packed. An acoustic run The Hits Unplugged kicks off Feb. 25 in Colorado, followed by orchestral dates in Las Vegas and California in March. Gramm will join the band in Florida in April for shows spotlighting the 4 album, and European dates include a June 5 appearance at the Sweden Rock Festival before a summer package tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The theatrical front is equally exciting. Feels Like the First Time The Foreigner Musical premieres April 17 at Long Island University’s Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, with a nine-day run directed by Tony Award-nominated Broadway veteran Adam Pascal, known for Rent, Aida, Chicago, and Cabaret. Carson has plans to eventually take the production on the road.
A feature-length documentary is also in the pipeline, helmed by Scottish director George Scott who has previously made films about Jimi Hendrix and Duran Duran and is expected to hit theaters this summer. The film will include a stirring rendition of “Feels Like the First Time” recorded at Ellis Island, with Gramm, Hansen, and Maldonado all sharing the mic. A cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is also slated for release this year.
Looking even further ahead, Foreigner plans to mark the 50th anniversaries of its self-titled debut in 2027 and Double Vision in 2028. Shows are already being booked for both years.
Why Foreigner still matters
There’s something genuinely rare about a band that survives personnel changes, label shifts, health crises, and industry upheaval and comes out the other side not just intact, but relevant. Foreigner’s longevity isn’t about nostalgia alone. It’s about songs that connect across generations and a team committed to honoring the music while pushing it forward.
Pilson put it plainly: the band works hard, plays the songs right, and respects what Foreigner means to its fans. Gramm, who spent years at odds with Jones, echoed that sentiment after the Rock Hall induction, acknowledging that the current lineup has done the legacy justice.
Fifty years in, Foreigner isn’t looking for an exit. It’s looking for the next stage.
