FOREIGNER Musical 'Juke Box Hero' To Premiere In Alberta, Canada

FOREIGNER is turning forty this year and celebrating with a Canadian tour, fortieth-anniversary album, and new musical, "Juke Box Hero", premiering in Alberta sometime in 2018.

FOREIGNER's ten-city Canadian tour is set to launch in Calgary, Alberta on October 11 and trek across Western Canada as the band — Mick Jones (lead guitar),Kelly Hansen (lead vocals),Jeff Pilson (bass, vocals),Tom Gimbel (rhythm guitar, sax, vocals),Michael Bluestein (keyboards),Bruce Watson (guitar) and Chris Frazier (drums) — bring FOREIGNER's arsenal of hits to Canada. Tickets go on sale June 2.

This tour will feature a companion album, a new career-spanning compilation titled "40" that features forty hits from forty years. Rhino released "40" on May 26 as a double-CD set that includes forty songs recorded between 1977 and 2017. A double-vinyl version that features twenty-three songs will be released on June 2. "40" brings together the best songs from Foreigner's nine studio albums, including all sixteen of its Top 30 hits: "Feels Like The First Time", "Urgent", "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and more. The collection features "Too Late" from the group's 2008 retrospective "No End In Sight" and "The Flame Still Burns", the title track from a vinyl EP released just last year, making its debut on CD in this collection. All prior recordings have been remastered and the album features two new tracks recorded especially for this release, "Give My Life For Love" and a new version of "I Don't Want To Live Without You".

Another milestone as part of FOREIGNER's fortieth-anniversary celebration is the announcement of the forthcoming musical, "Juke Box Hero", premiering in Alberta in 2018. Based on the screenplay written by the prolific writing duo Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, responsible for films "The Commitments" and "Across The Universe", and the TV program "The Tracey Ullman Show", "Juke Box Hero" is a coming-of-age saga written to the music of FOREIGNER.

"I never could have imagined when I set out to create FOREIGNER forty years ago that we'd still be touring around the world and performing the music we love all these years later," says founding member and lead guitarist Mick Jones. "I am so proud that these songs will now be reinterpreted for stage, and am honored by the team that is helping bring this music to life. I can't express the gratitude I feel when fans share stories of how our songs have been woven into their milestones and memories over the years. I had so many great times with FOREIGNER in Canada and I look forward to bringing the band back here for our fortieth-anniversary tour. I'm thrilled that Canada will see the premiere of our brand new musical, 'Juke Box Hero', in 2018."

Photo credit: Bill Bernstein