Memories

The other day, and a few weeks ago, I was talking about Foreigner. I'm a really big fan of theirs, and while there are some people out there who don't appreciate the new line up, I'm not one of them. I've had ties to Kelly Hansen and Jeff Pilson going back years.

Kelly Hansen was the lead singer of a 80s hair metal band called Hurricane. They had one hit, "I'm On To You," which, unfortunately, had a silly "nah nah nah nah nah nah" refrain in the chorus. I always thought Kelly had an incredible, strong voice and was a really underrated singer. I went to see the band open for Stryper at Radio City Music Hall in November 1988. I went alone and was probably one of the only people to buy a Hurricane t-shirt instead of Stryper merchandise. And yes, for the record, I did have to dodge a Bible hurled into the audience from the stage during Stryper's set.

Jeff Pilson was the bass player in Dokken in the 80s, and I was a huge Dokken fan. I actually painted the band's logo on the back of my favorite denim jacket. I only got to see the original line up of Dokken once, when they opened for Aerosmith. But a few years later, I got to see Jeff Pilson up close when his solo band War and Peace played a local club. They played at a hole in the wall called February's, which was tinier than tiny. I was up front, and, consequently, got spit on many times when Jeff sang (a warning to those who see him today). The best part of the show came at the end when he pulled me and a few other girls on stage with him to sing the chorus of the Dokken song "It's Not Love." That was my not quite 15 minutes of fame.

I'm excited to see them both doing well with Foreigner. The band has a new CD out that I'll be going to, where else but Walmart, to pick up.

Feeling a bit Urgent...

Actually, I'm feeling a bit bummed, but Foreigner doesn't have a song with that title. I'll be missing their show tonight, and I'm sad about it.

I just have to say it. Foreigner is a great rock and roll band. I think the "corporate rock" label for them and other bands like Journey and Styx is just plain stupid. They play good, solid, hook filled rock and roll, and what's wrong with that? Being commercial isn't the equivalent of being bad.

Some may say Foreigner isn't the same since Lou Gramm left. After all, he was "the voice." I can see both sides of this. Lou Gramm had an amazing voice, but his age, his illness, and the fact that he'd performed for so many years was working against him. I saw him with the band a few years ago, and I found it hard to watch and listen to a singer who can't hit the notes he was famous for. It's heartbreaking. But I admit to being biased about the new singer Kelly Hansen. I was a fan of his band Hurricane in the 80s, and I always thought he was an underrated singer back then. Listening to him perform songs I love pumps me up and I think he really does them justice. And Mick Jones is simply Mick Jones, still awesome after all this time.

So this evening as I go about my regular life, I'll be humming Foreigner songs to myself and wishing I was rocking out. Maybe next tour...