Foreigner - Lewiston, NY - 08-17-2010

By Joseph Suto

It had been some 28 years that a Foreigner concert in the Buffalo area had this much magnitude. One would have to go back in time to July 3, 1982. That was when on the heels of their #1 album entitled 4 that the band headlined Superfest XV at Rich Stadium. That particular Superfest featured Loverboy, Ted Nugent and Iron Maiden. Those were the days of the Lou Gramm led version of the band when they would hit Buffalo regularly. Mick Jones, the only original member left, told the crowd at Artpark Tuesday that he was at a crossroads. He could call it a day or help keep the Foreigner Classics alive by finding someone who could sing the hell out of them. He chose the latter as singer Kelly Hansen came along and the rest they say is history. The band also featuring guitarist/Saxophonist Thom Gimbel, bassist Jeff Pilson (from Dokken) drummer Jason Sutter and last but not least keyboardist Michael Bluestein really did an amazing job bringing the classics to life.

Hitting the stage with "Double Vision", the band mixed in the hits along with some fan favorites. Of them "Starrider." which featured Mick on lead vocals was definitely a highlight. "That Was Yesterday", another lost classic, also served as another highlight. During "I Want To Know What Love Is," Foreigner carried on their tradition of bringing a choir on stage. This time around the Wilson High School Choir had the honor of being up on stage. Foreigner brought along a pretty impressive set up as most of the bands that come to Artpark usually do not use any elaborate stage. The huge digital screen in the back of the stage gave one an impression that they were at an arena show. And having the keyboards and drums and the ramps really gave it a glitzy feel. About the only thing missing from days past was Foreigner’s famous inflatable jukebox, oh yeah Lou Gramm was missed as well.