Latest version of Foreigner totes big bag of hits

By Jeff Maisey

Correspondent

As predictable as it may seem, Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones insists that performing with his current lineup, in which he is the only original member, does indeed "feel like the first time" all over again. Maybe even better.

"I had always thought the sound of the band should match the look of this band, and I finally feel like I found that, you know, after all these years," said Jones, who brings his group to Portsmouth on Friday for a concert with Bryan Adams. "With no disrespect to any of the former versions of Foreigner, but I feel at this point this is certainly the way to remind people this is a serious band with an incredible track record."

Foreigner made a spectacular debut in 1977 with an album ("Foreigner") that spawned such radio-friendly hits as "Cold as Ice," "Feels Like the First Time" and "Long Long Way From Home." Throughout the '70s and '80s, Jones and singer Lou Gramm survived numerous lineup changes and continued writing an impressive list of hits, including "Hot Blooded," "Urgent," "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "Head Games."

Jones said many of Foreigner's earlier songs stemmed from real-life experiences.

"For instance, 'Juke Box Hero' was a true story where we turned up for a show one day in Cincinnati for a sound check in the afternoon. There were maybe 50 kids waiting outside the stage entrance, and then we signed autographs and stuff like that. We came back later for the show, and there were these terrible storms, and there was this one kid, oneguy who was just still there, completely soaked, who hadn't got his signature and had a bunch of albums. I kind of took pity on him, and we took him inside and took him backstage and gave him the whole treatment. We even put him onstage. And the look on that guy's face: just the amazement and awe of being in a packed-out arena with a big production and lights. It was amazing to see it through his eyes. And that really is what inspired the theme to the song."

Both Gramm and Jones released solo albums in the 1980s. Bolstered by his success as a solo artist and owing to creative conflicts with Jones, Gramm exited Foreigner in 1990. Then, in 1997, a few years after reuniting with Jones in Foreigner, Gramm was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After a successful surgery, he returned to Foreigner between 1999 and 2002.

After that stint, Gramm again hit the road as a solo artist, performing much of his Foreigner material. This seemed to grate on Jones' nerves.

"At that time Lou was touring under his own auspices as Foreigner. I was hearing different reports about that, and I was starting to think people were getting a very weird idea about what Foreigner is."

Jones, who was taking a break from playing out, was approached by drummer Jason Bonham, the son of legendary Led Zeppelin percussionist John Bonham, about getting Foreigner back on the road.

"In fact, if it wasn't for Jason I don't know if I would have started thinking of putting the band back together," said Jones. "It was his enthusiasm, really, when we met about four years ago in L.A. We had lunch, and he said, 'I can't understand, Mick, why you're not thinking of putting the band back together. Look at all the songs you've written. It is such an important band.'"

An important ingredient to reforming Foreigner was for Jones to find a singer who could belt out the high notes like Gramm and perform with the swagger of a Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. He considered the mission to be accomplished when he found Kelly Hansen, a former vocalist in Hurricane.

"We got a whole lot in one package. Kelly is a fantastic frontman, and he really engages the crowd. I'd say that's the big difference between the old Foreigner and the new one. Lou, although blessed with a fantastic voice, was never really a go-and-get-'em kind of lead singer. He was sort of stationary. So it was so important to me to find someone again who had that raw talent and would work under my tutor and make this sound the way it should. If I hadn't been able to find anybody, quite honestly I don't think I could have gone ahead with it."

Jeff Maisey, (757) 222-3934, jmaisey@pilotonline.com