Foreigner’s Farewell Tour 2023 | Photos & Review

Foreigner’s final tour arrived in St. Louis, MO, Wednesday night, greeted by thick, damp air, and a crowd ranging from the oldest Boomers to the tiniest Gen Alpha fans, all screaming, dancing, and ready for a show. From my own seat I saw Gen X couples dancing together, a mom and her teenage daughter laughing at the constant jokes from Kelly Hansen, Foreigner’s frontman, and a dad with his son who couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old.

And that’s the thing about Foreigner, and any classic rock band still around. When you’ve been playing for nearly half a century, you won’t be limited to one small demographic. Everyone knows at least one or two Foreigner songs, whether they remember hearing them on the radio, or first learned of them from TV and movies like Pitch Perfect, Stranger Things, or even The Angry Birds Movie. But half a century also means that there’s only one original band member left, Mick Jones, 78, who makes special appearances on the tour and sadly wasn’t performing Wednesday.

So a final tour — and a true final tour, not the “Final Tour, Wait, Just Kidding, Never Say Never, Okay Now We Mean It This time” final tour — makes sense. But just because there weren’t any original members on stage Wednesday doesn’t mean they didn’t bring the same charismatic, timeless, iconic energy to the stage that we’ve been hearing for the past 47 years.

Foreigner opened their set with “Double Vision”, and frontman Hansen, clad in yellow pants dotted with rhinestones, was nothing short of breathtaking. He charmed the audience as well as the cameramen, and cracked jokes throughout the concert. 

Bassist Jeff Pilson was seated much of the concert, from an apparent “chicken coop construction” injury, but didn’t let that limit him, especially shining during Dirty White Boy as well as the acoustic set mid concert. Bruce Watson, guitarist, took the opportunity during the acoustic set to show off his slide guitar skills, which was really unique to see. Watson’s energy during the show was incredible, running, jumping, and showing off moves that definitely betrayed his 64 year old age. The freshest face of Foreigner, Luis Maldonado, guitarist, had several entertaining interactions on stage with Hansen, and was able to show off his classic flamenco-style guitar skills during the acoustic set as well. 

If you have the chance to see this final showing of one of the last true classic rock bands left, it’s well worth it. Through the years the faces of Foreigner may have changed, but the spirit and sound have remained the same.  

Coverage courtesy of Elizabeth Rajchart

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