Foreigner concert at Hartman Arena celebrates band’s 45 years
Like a ballplayer on the injured reserve list, the status of Foreigner guitarist and co-founder Mick Jones is day-to-day on the band’s 2021 tour.
“As long as he’s feeling OK, he tries to get out whenever he can,” keyboardist Michael Bluestein said in a phone interview. “I’ve definitely heard he’ll be on some of these (shows) coming up, but he has to monitor where his health’s at. But if the doctor says he’s good to go, he’ll show up.”
Jones has had health problems for years, resulting in heart surgery in 2012.
When Jones is not on stage, Foreigner – which performs Aug. 7 at Hartman Arena – has none of its original members. The seven band members were, however, all picked by him.
But Bluestein, who has been with the group for 13 years, said that matters little to cheering fans in arenas worldwide.
“What we do find is that people are just thrilled to hear the songs,” he said from Tulsa, where he was visiting his girlfriend before starting back up on tour. “We do feel like we do them well and there’s a lot of energy. This is a band that Mick has put together, even if he can’t always be there.”
Bluestein said he understands why some might be skeptical of a band touring without any of its original members.
“We must fool a lot of people because they keep coming back for sold-out shows,” he said with a laugh. “The proof is there in the pudding, as they say. If it wasn’t working, we wouldn’t be able to keep doing it.”
Foreigner amassed 16 Top 40 hits – nine of them in the Top 10 – from 1977 to 1988. Having different musicians doesn’t mean an identical performance, Bluestein said, but it’s “pretty faithful” to the original cuts.
“It’s not a carbon copy of every single note and sound, but all the important integral things that make the song and make the song what it is are there,” he said. “There’s a real respect for how they were conceived and recorded, and we play tribute to that. There will be a little bit of individual flavor that creeps in, but we think that’s a good thing.”
Like Foreigner fans, Bluestein said he’s heard rumors of the band recording a new album but wasn’t at liberty to disclose any info.
Foreigner, formed 45 years ago, resumed touring in May, June and July with four shows a month. The Hartman Arena stop is one in about a month-long tour.
The Los Angeles-based Bluestein has toured with Boz Scaggs, Enrique Iglesias and Roger Hodgson before joining Foreigner.
At 52, he said he and his bandmates watch themselves on the road.
“The hangovers can pack a little more of a punch at 52, so you dial that back a notch. We take care of ourselves mentally and physically,” said Bluestein, who has practiced transcendental meditation for many years.
“I do some walks and take in the local flavor wherever we are. That helps. You want to have fun, but you can’t have too much fun as the years go on,” he added. “You want to balance that with positive stuff, some self-care.”
Foreigner
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7
Where: Hartman Arena, Park City
Tickets: $39.50-$86.50 from TicketMaster