Any thought that I had about old guys loosing their rocker edge was put to rest last night. We double dated last night with a drummer friend and his wife to the Viejas Casino to see Foreigner. They have is listed as “Concerts in the Park, but it may be more fitting to say “Concerts under the Stars. With Orion to my left, and the Big Dipper on my right, the band rocked the center stage.
With only one original member of the band playing, I had the feeling that I was in for a “cover band” experience. That was not the case. All the players were veterans of rock and roll with 20-30 years of playing under their belts. Mick Jones was on his game, and Kelly Hansen pretty well picked up where Lou Graham left off.
For the highlight of the show was the 10 minute version of “Jukebox Hero” somewhere in the middle of the song the went into Zeppelin’s “Whole lotta love.” It made sense when I realized that Jason Bonham was playing drums.
Back to Mick Jones…He appeared to look a cross between Wilford Brimley and Malcolm McDowell, but his guitar work was flawless. Songs like “Urgent”, “Hot blooded”, and “Feels like the First Time” were true to the original recordings with a live flair. His stature as one of the premier guitar players of my time really shined trough.
The band played hit after hit. Two hours of songs that 2,500 people could easily sing along with. They did take the time to play one new cut “Too Late.” Now From what I’ve experienced, when old bands release new cuts, they usually suck…well; almost always suck, but nit in this case. I’d say that the song is a pretty typical foreigner song, with one acceptation. He stole my lick. As I’m listening to the song in real time Mick played my lick that I throw around pretty regularly. This gave me a sense of great pride, and then the thought that I may be seeing a royalty check someday soon.
Overall I was pleased with the concert. The only thing that could have been better coordinated was the shooting star that we saw should have waited till the band player Star Rider.
All in all I give it 5 out of 6 strings.
Filed under: Music | Tagged: 80's bands, Concert Review, Foreigner, Foreigner Review, Kelly Hansen, Lou Graham, Mick Jones, Music, Music Review, No End In Sight, Rock and Roll, Viejas Concerts in the Park
I wished I could have heard “Whole Lotta Love.” I’m a Zeppelin fan myself. But I agree with you that old guys still know how to bring it. There was a local band playing around my area called Sideshow and they played some of the best covers that I’ve heard of classic rock tunes like “Baker Street” and “Africa.” Let the old guys do their thing. haha