Rock and roll never dies, and Foreigner is living proof. Fifty years into their career, the classic rock titans have turned around and said a fond farewell to what they’d billed as their “Farewell Tour,” once they realized the band had too much vitality to call it quits.
Now the multi-platinum hitmakers who gave us enduring anthems like “Cold as Ice,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Urgent” have risen from near-death to carry on the Foreigner legacy, with a new singer from within their own ranks and a 2026 calendar packed with everything from intimate unplugged sets to an upcoming symphonic collaboration with a live, classical orchestra at Napa’s Uptown Theatre this Saturday, March 21.
The Bohemian caught up with Foreigner bassist and musical director Jeff Pilson to discuss the band’s sonic evolution, his deep history with Mick Jones and the time he rented his own gear to the band decades before joining.
Foreigner famously announced a ‘Farewell Tour’ recently, but that seems to have evolved. Beyond just the practicalities, what were the specific factors that convinced you to keep the machine running?
Jeff Pilson: The main factor was that once we realized that Luis [Maldonado] was going to be able to carry us forward, nobody else wanted to stop. Originally, Kelly [Hansen] came to us and said, ‘Look guys, I don’t want to tour anymore.’ But once we realized we have a future with Luis as singer, the rest of us all wanted to continue. It felt like we were reinvigorated and inspired to carry on.
When Kelly passed the torch to Luis, how did that internal transition play out?
It’s an interesting dynamic. It’s not like we went out and hired some new singer. We got somebody from within the band, which is actually really great because you already have a bond and a rapport. And the fact that he was in the band with Kelly… The whole thing felt like divine intervention, almost, the way everything worked out so smoothly.
What new possibilities opened up when Luis stepped up to the mic?
Well, Luis speaks Spanish, so it really was a no-brainer that we do Spanish versions of the songs. They’re coming out amazing. We recorded ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ as a duet with Joy Huerta from Jesse & Joy, which is a huge band in Mexico.
You’ve also done some reunion shows with original vocalist Lou Gramm. What were those like?
We’re actually doing another run of shows with Lou for ‘Four and More,’ where we do Foreigner 4 in its entirety. It’s kind of the most iconic Foreigner album, and we love playing those deep tracks that don’t always make the standard setlist.
But the record itself was only 42 minutes of music, and we have other hits that you just kind of got to play to give the fans a full two-hour experience. You can’t walk off stage without doing ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ or ‘Hot Blooded,’ so we use the album as the core and then build the ‘More’ part around the absolute essentials.
When you approach the orchestral shows, what do real strings offer that keyboards or guitars can’t?
An orchestra can be heavy in a way, just like a rock band. It can be just as heavy. I think cellos are a really great instrument to translate heaviness into a rock format. I think it’s just as effective as distorted guitars when done right. I still always prefer the sound of real strings just because there’s a human element to it that machines don’t quite have yet.
Some songs, like ‘I Want to Know What Love Is,’ lend themselves naturally to an orchestral arrangement. But how do you handle a straight-ahead rocker like ‘Hot Blooded’ in a live setting without losing its grit?
For the live arrangement, we really want to feature the guitar players on that song. It’s a great guitar song. We let both John [Sexton], our new guitarist, and Bruce [Watson] just shine away. It really lifts the song into a new area.
Working so closely with founder Mick Jones, you must have collected some incredible stories about his history in the classic rock pantheon. Does any specific anecdote stand out that captures his legacy?
Here’s a Mick Jones story for you. Do you know how he learned to play the intro of ‘Hey Joe’ by Jimi Hendrix? In a tour bus. Because he was touring and Jimi was on the bus, and Jimi himself showed it to him.
Did he have any other ‘only in the ’60s’ encounters before Foreigner really took off?
Absolutely. In early 1964, Mick was playing with a French artist while The Beatles were doing a residency at the Olympia Theatre in Paris. As the curtain closed, it knocked Mick’s amp over. He went, ‘Oh, fuck,’ in English. And all of a sudden he hears somebody go, ‘Oh man, you’re a Brit; gotta come up and join us.’ It was (John) Lennon.
Every day after the shows, he would go up to the Beatles’ suite and party with them. He was in the suite when they received the telegram from Brian Epstein saying that ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ had gone number one in the States. He was in the room with them, partying with them, when they heard about that.
I know you’re a massive fan of the Mellotron [electro-mechanical keyboard]. Is it true you actually have a personal history with Foreigner’s gear dating back to the late ’70s, long before you joined the band?
I do. In 1978, I was living in Seattle. We were hell-bent on buying a Mellotron. I get a call one day. The guy says, ‘Foreigner is coming through town, and their Mellotron broke. The only one we have is yours. Would you rent it to Foreigner?’ So Foreigner rented my Mellotron. As I’m walking into the Veterans Stadium in Seattle, I’m listening to ‘Cold as Ice’ with the Mellotron part flooding the stadium. And I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s my Mellotron.’
Do you remember the first time you actually heard Foreigner? I suspect your entry point might have been a bit different given your prog-rock background.
I was drawn to Foreigner because of Ian McDonald. I heard he was in a new band after King Crimson. And then when I heard ‘Feels Like the First Time,’ I was just knocked out. I thought it was the best rock song I’d heard in a long time. Great chorus, great guitar riff, amazing singing. It really floored me.
With such a packed schedule in 2026, do you have any room left for side projects, or is it all Foreigner all the time?
I have a Black Swan record [Paralyzed] coming out in February, but I know I’m not going to have any time to record anything during 2026. No side projects this coming year; it’s all Foreigner for me. But that’s great because we’re busy, and that’s the way I like it.
Looking back at your younger self starting out in bands, did you ever imagine your career would end up here—carrying on the legacy of one of the biggest bands in the world?
My goal was always to be in a big rock band. I wanted to play concerts; I wanted to do records; and I’ve done all that. It came out not exactly the way I would have envisioned it, but I’ve achieved what I set out to do.
Foreigner performs at 8pm, March 21, at the Uptown Theatre, 1350 Third St., Napa. Tickets and more info at uptowntheatrenapa.com.
