FOREIGNER Wraps First Leg Of Two-Year Farewell Tour, Grosses Over $18 Million

FOREIGNER, the band behind some of rock's most timeless songs, has just wrapped up the first leg of its farewell tour with a slew of sold-out shows, enthusiastic reviews, and box-office records.

The trek will continue through the fall with a string of sold-out indoor events that will bring the excitement to fans in secondary markets across the USA. Details can be found at foreigneronline.com.

FOREIGNER reached hundreds of thousands of loyal fans as the band rocked across the U.S. and Canada on the first leg of its farewell tour, which grossed over $18,000,000, making it one of the most successful classic rock tours of the summer. Fans at the 32 tour stops were treated to some of rock and roll's most enduring anthems, including "Juke Box Hero", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Feels Like The First Time", "Urgent", "Head Games", "Say You Will", "Dirty White Boy", "Long, Long Way From Home" and the worldwide No. 1 hit "I Want To Know What Love Is".

The farewell tour, announced by FOREIGNER frontman Kelly Hansen in a sit-down interview with "Fox & Friends" in November 2022, launched at Atlanta's Ameris Bank Amphitheatre on July 6, 2023. For the Live Nation amphitheater tour, FOREIGNER was joined by LOVERBOY, one of the 1980s' biggest hit-makers. The spectacular show, also teased for millions of viewers on ABC's hit show "GMA3" this summer, thrilled audiences with stellar performances of more than 20 combined chart-topping songs.

Hansen had this to say: "What a fabulous beginning to our farewell odyssey. The fans have been amazing in expressing their joy for this catalog and this legacy. I very much look forward to continuing to play these amazing songs with this extremely talented band to these brilliant fans all over, and I am filled with humble gratitude."

Live Nation's Rick Franks said: "The first leg of FOREIGNER's two-year farewell tour played to a nightly average of over 10,000 ecstatic fans. The amazing reviews and box office numbers made it one of the most successful classic rock tours of the summer. We are all looking forward to the band's December announcement of forthcoming shows."

As part of FOREIGNER's longtime partnership with the Grammy Museum Foundation supporting music programs in our nation's schools, FOREIGNER conducted a contest in each tour city that gave choirs the chance to open the show and win a P.A. system donated by Bose.

Launched exclusively during the FOREIGNER farewell tour was the companion album on vinyl, "Farewell – The Very Best Of Foreigner", which debuted on the Billboard Current Album chart at No. 40.

FOREIGNER leader and founder Mick Jones said: "It has been heartwarming to read the reviews on social media from so many of our fans that attended the first leg of our farewell tour. Over the next year or so we hope to perform in most of the cities that FOREIGNER has played since the band was reformed."

FOREIGNER will round out the first year of the farewell tour with 2024 shows to be announced in December, including "Feels Like The Last Time"; a two-part residency at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas featuring sixteen shows taking place March 22 – April 6 and October 25 – November 9, 2024.

The only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, Jones suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. Ever since, it is never announced whether he will be appearing with the band for specific shows — it just depends how he is feeling.

After singer Lou Gramm left FOREIGNER in 2003, Jones took some time off before regrouping a couple years later with an entirely new lineup, featuring Hansen and bassist Jeff Pilson, among others.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want To Know What Love Is".

Photo credit: Kamal Asar