It may have taken 50 years since Foreigner’s formation for us to see them perform live in our country, and while none of the original members from that lineup remain but as they say it’s better late than never. Of course, in the time between the announcement and the concert itself, countless things were written about this great American band. Some focused on the fact that they’re now essentially a tribute band. Others argued that even so, they’re worth seeing. Be that as it may, the beautiful OAKA tennis arena court was nearly full, and it seemed like everyone was eager to hear all of Foreigner’s classic hits.
The show kicked off with the great Kostas Tournas. We’d already written in a related article before the show that we couldn’t think of a more ideal artist to open for Foreigner, since he is—in our personal opinion—the ultimate embodiment of the more commercial side of Greek-language rock music. I was particularly pleased that there were people in the audience who hadn’t seen him live before, and by the end, I was hearing nothing but praise from all of them. As always, Tournas and his entire band were in top form, and while time was limited and the songs followed one another with almost no breaks, even so, the audience had the chance to hear many of his classic songs. One of a kind!
But the time had come to enjoy Foreigner—one of the few bands out there with so many hits and millions of records sold. Just before the concert, we had the pleasure of interviewing their longtime bassist, Jeff Pilson. As soon as we told him we didn’t know what to expect from the new singer, Louis Maldonado, he assured us that we wouldn’t believe what we were about to experience. And how right he was! We’re talking about a flawless frontman who not only had an incredible voice but was also impeccable in his interaction with the crowd. I firmly believe he has given the band many more years of life. The same applies even more so to all the band members, especially John Roth (Winger), Chris Frazier (Whitesnake, Tak Matsumoto), and of course the great Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio, etc.). They kicked things off with the magical trio of “Double Vision,” “Head Games,” and “Cold As Ice,” and the entire arena was literally on its feet. After a while, the chairs in the arena had been pushed aside, and the crowd had gathered at the barrier in front of the stage. The hits followed one after another, and honestly, I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect set list—it was essentially a “best of” package…even if we didn’t get to hear the much-loved “Say You Will.”
Among the highlights were definitely the incredible, extended version of “Juke Box Hero,” the mesmerizing performance of “I Want To Know What Love Is” featuring “our very own” Margarita Papadimitriou, Ioanna Morfi, and Anna Tarba (from Kostas Tournas’s band) on backing vocals, and the finale with the timeless “Hot Blooded.”
One last thing. We should consider ourselves lucky to have experienced this concert. We live in a country where, due to its geographical location but mainly because of musical preferences, we almost never have the opportunity to enjoy American bands from the once-golden era of so-called FM rock of the 1980s. So, congratulations to the organizers. As for those who insist on viewing this as a tribute band, that’s a perfectly respectable opinion—but aren’t they missing out on the chance to enjoy a flawless band that has the seal of approval of founder Mick Jones and singer Lou Gramm? It’s a valid question. Also, how often do they get the chance to see all these great musicians together on stage and hear all those hits? That’s a second question…
Sakis Nikas
