FOREIGNER To Tour Canada Without Vocalist KELLY HANSEN
FOREIGNER To Tour Canada but there will be something different that needs explaining. The band is not going to have the talents of front vocalist KELLY HANSEN.
Who Will Replace Foreigner Singer On Tour?
Singer-Actor GEORDIE BROWN to step In. Nova Scotian singer-actor Geordie Brown will join 80’s rock multi-platinum rock band FOREIGNER as they embark on a 13-city Canadian tour this coming fall.
Ahead of the bands tour’s announcement, Hansen told Blabbermouth in 2023, “I have a lot to do before this winds up. I just got married over two years ago, and I look forward to spending time with my wife and family and making plans for what is the next step in our future. Because I have other interests; I wanna do other things.” These comments came after Foreigner announced their 2023 Farewell Tour. Even though Hansen will be missed, it seems the group found a more than qualified-replacement.
Who Is New Lead Singer Geordie Brown?
Geordie Brown played the male lead in the workshop production of Foreigner’s Juke Box Hero, The Musical in 2018 in Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. Given his on-stage experience, it seems Mick Jones and the rest of Foreigner saw him as a perfect fit.
In fact you might remember Geordie Brown from before. Brown performed with Foreigner during the band’s 2019 appearance in Halifax and was also at Foreigner’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2024. Brown will also reprise his role in “Jukebox Hero” for its upcoming 2026 run.
No reason has been given as to why Hansen, who joined Foreigner in 2005, will not be joining the band on tour.
Foreigner is a classic rock band known for mega-selling hits like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Feels Like the First Time.” Jones is the only original member of Foreigner still with the band, though he no longer performs due to Parkinson’s disease. The rest of Foreigner consists of Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein, Bruce Watson and Chris Frazier.
Foreigner: 10 Best Songs
10. 'Dirty White Boy' - 'Head Games' (1979)
A little bit cheeky and whole lot of fun, “Dirty White Boy” was the lead single off of Foreigner’s third studio album, Head Games. Guitarist Mick Jones told SongFacts that the song was loosely inspired by Elvis Presley. He said, “To me, he always was that dirty white boy who changed the shape of music completely. It was talking about the kind of heritage that he left, and I think that had an effect on all the musicians that came after, like Mick Jagger – he was also a dirty white boy.”
9. 'Cold As Ice' - 'Foreigner' (1977)
Mick Jones’ piano intro is so effective on this track. Just playing the first two or three notes makes most listeners recognize this hit right away. However, Mick Jones told Classic Rock, “I must admit though that I was surprised when it went into the Top 10 in America. But then we were a new band, and everything was exciting and surprising at the time.”
8. 'Head Games' - 'Head Games' (1979)
Man…Foreigner can’t seem to catch a romantic break on this one! Whoever inspired “Head Games” must have done a real number on Lou Gramm and Mick Jones. But that chorus is one earworm we just can’t quit. (Seriously, just try!)
7. 'Urgent' - '4' (1981)
Foreigner wasn’t wasting any time on 4. Out the gate, its lead single, “Urgent,” set the tone for this classic album, which is the band’s only album to top the Billboard charts. Fun fact: Thomas Dolby, who released “She Blinded Me with Science” the following year, plays synthesizers on this track. Here’s hoping that nugget will earn you a free drink at a trivia night in the future.
6. 'Double Vision' - 'Double Vision' (1978)
No, this jam isn’t about seeing double due to intoxication. Singer Lou Gramm said a game between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers actually inspired the song. During the game, Rangers goalie John Davidson was knocked out by an elbow from the Flyers left winger Dave Schultz. Gramm was watching the game on a small TV at the recording studio, and the announcer said Davidson wasn’t returning to the game due to experiencing double vision.
5. 'I Want to Know What Love Is' - 'Agent Provocateur' (1984)
“I Want to Know What Love Is” is an iconic power ballad. (In fact, we ranked it at number 11 on our list of the ‘50 Best Power Ballads of All Time.’) The track is notable for being Foreigner’s lone number-one hit when it was released in 1984 as the lead single off of Agent Provocateur. It also has one of the best choruses to scream-sing of all time.
4. 'Blue Morning, Blue Day' - 'Double Vision' (1978)
Lou Gramm, obviously, doesn’t need help in the vocal department. However, there’s truly something special about the harmony in the chorus thanks to backing vocals from Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, Ed Gagliardi and Ian Lloyd. Al Greenwood’s keyboards are a secret weapon that adds another layer to this surprisingly moody track. “Blue Morning, Blue Day” is somehow both a hit and underrated in that regard.
3. 'Hot Blooded' - 'Double Vision' (1978)
The riff on “Hot Blooded” is such a monster hook it makes you forget Foreigner rhymes “mind” with “mind” in the first verse. (“You don’t have to read my mind/To know what I have in mind.”) Nitpicking the lyrics aside, the pressure Foreigner was under to follow up their hit debut must have been intense. However, they more than delivered with “Hot Blooded,” the lead single off of Double Vision, which topped out at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
2. 'Juke Box Hero' - '4' (1981)
Some of the biggest rock stars of all time likely have “Juke Box Hero”-esque origin stories. This is just one of the reasons this track never fails to hit you “right in the feels.” It never loses its grandness, even after repeated listens. If there’s a hallmark for an iconic track, it’s that.
1. 'Feels Like the First Time' - 'Foreigner' (1977)
As far as debut singles go, “Feels Like the First Time” is one of the best. And yet, it may be the most underrated in the grand scheme of classic rock. Foreigner gets a lot of love from its fans, but they never really got their due. Perhaps, to paraphrase the Adam Sandler comedy Big Daddy, they only caught a bad rap because most critics are cynical a–holes.
There’s no debating it, though; “Feels Like the First Time” is an undeniable classic. If you need a reminder, just listen to the track below and judge for yourself.
