Any band that’s been around for 40 years has plenty of reasons to celebrate, and that’s exactly what Foreigner is doing. Sure enough, these “dirty white boys” are out on the road with Cheap Trick where they’re showing the fans exactly why they’ve lasted this long.
Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre was the setting for the band’s San Francisco Bay Area stop where, in spite of the unseasonably brutal heat, the fans arrived early and packed the house. Jason Bonham kicked the evening off with a set of Led Zeppelin covers and things rocketed into high gear with Cheap Trick’s hour long set that had guitarist Rick Nielsen peppering the front rows with fistfuls of picks as the band tore through their classics.
Foreigner
Any previously open seats in the amphitheatre quickly filled as a giant curtain was draped across the stage and the crew focused on a remarkably efficient change-over. When the curtain finally dropped, and the band launched into “Double Vision,” the place went crazy.
With only one original member it’s hard to imagine any band retaining such popularity, but Foreigner has done exactly that. Anchored by founding member, lead guitarist, and main songwriter Mick Jones, the band was clearly set on delivering a top-notch performance thanks in no small part to the high energy and vocal abilities of Kelly Hansen who made his way up into the audience early in the set, much to the crowd’s surprise.
As one would expect, the band stuck to the classics and delivered them shockingly well. It was admittedly a nostalgia trip and Hansen so much as admitted it when he implored the crowd to, “find that twenty year old you used to be,” as he introduced “Feels Like the First Time.” Not that the audience—already on their feet and partying along—seemed to need any prodding.
“Juke Box Hero” ended the main portion of the set and after a quick break the band returned with their biggest hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is” during which they were joined on stage by the Saratoga High School Choir, adding a local touch to the show. Of course no Foreigner show would be complete without “Hot Blooded,” and that’s exactly how they ended the evening.
Anyone expecting a nostalgic act cashing in on past days of glory would have been sorely disappointed by Saturday night’s show; the band sounded shockingly good and more than did justice to Foreigner’s 40 year legacy.
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CHEAP TRICK
Cheap Trick
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FOREIGNER SETLIST
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold as Ice
Waiting for a Girl Like You
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Dirty White Boy
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent
Starrider
Juke Box Hero
ENCORE
I Want to Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded
