JEFF PILSON: 'There Is No Absolute End Date Yet' To FOREIGNER's Farewell Tour

In a new interview with Ethan Dometrius, FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson was asked how he and his bandmates came to a decision to embark what is being billed as the group's "farewell" tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, Kelly [Hansen, FOREIGNER singer] came to me a couple years ago and said he wanted to start winding down. And I said, 'Yeah, I get that. I totally get that.' So, then he discussed it with Mick [Jones, FOREIGNER guitarist and founder], of course, and kind of worked a plan out to go forward. So, yeah, I was in on it fairly early. Like I say, it started with Kelly, mainly because he feels like it's getting more difficult every year for him to sing this catalog of songs. I mean, these are rough songs to sing. And he does not wanna be the guy that goes up there and sucks — he won't do that. That's not in his blood, which I respect a lot. And so he said, 'Look, I need to get out because I wanna go out before my voice does' [laughs], and I get that. So that was kind of where that all started."

Pilson clarified, however, that FOREIGNER is "not going away. We're not falling off the face of the earth," he explained. "We're just not gonna be doing the nine- and 10-month tours like we used to. But we'll still be around, and you'll still hear us."

Asked how he and his FOREIGNER bandmates prepare for what could be a three-year farewell tour, Pilson said: "Well, because we are looking at it, like, 'Well, let's just see what happens' — we know, for instance, that next year we're gonna do some shows, but we're gonna do a lot less. So we just kind of sit down and say, 'Well, how long do we wanna go? When do we wanna go? How many shows do we wanna do?' And that way we can kind of wind it down nicely over the next few years. No absolute end date. That's not the objective. There is no absolute end date yet. That's not the plan. It's a wind-down right now. But again, we call it a farewell tour because this is the last time we're gonna really be touring, touring, touring."

After one last show with STYX and John Waite in Memphis on September 20, FOREIGNER's farewell tour is set to continue on September 23, 2024, at West Virginia's Charleston Civic Center. FOREIGNER will be joined by LOVERBOY and Lita Ford.

This past February, Jones revealed that his ongoing absences from FOREIGNER's farewell tour, which began in 2022, have been due to his battle with Parkinson's disease. The 79-year-old musician added that he is "still very much involved in the background with FOREIGNER" and remains "a presence."

FOREIGNER's current incarnation includes Jones on guitar, Michael Bluestein on keyboards, Bruce Watson on guitar, Luis Maldonado on guitar, Hansen on vocals, Pilson on bass and Chris Frazier on drums.

Jones, the sole remaining original member of FOREIGNER, hasn't played a full show with the band for at least a couple of years.

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 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".

In April, it was revealed that FOREIGNER is among the 2024 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited version will run on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after.