GETTING OUT

Foreigner stops at Little Creek on farewell tour

Kirk Boxleitner | Sep 14, 20230

After nearly half a century, the rock band Foreigner is in the middle of its “Historic Farewell Tour,” which began in late 2022 and is set to conclude in 2024, but not before appearing at Little Creek Casino on Sept. 23.

Keyboardist Michael Bluestein, a band member since 2008, admitted to bittersweet feelings about the band’s last tour even as he appreciates the chance to feed off the fans’ energy, live and in-person, during the band’s cross-country tour.

“It’s thrilling that the band’s catalog of songs continues to resonate with so many audiences out there, after all these decades,” Bluestein told the Journal. “We just recently performed for a crowd of about 13,000 in Detroit and we were firing on all cylinders.”

Bluestein cited the desire to “go out on top” as a big reason why Foreigner is disbanding.

Like Bluestein, lead vocalist Kelly Hansen is something of a next-generation band member, having joined Foreigner in 2005. Bluestein noted how the 62-year-old Hansen wanted to end on a figurative and literal high note, while his singing skills were intact.

Bluestein said he always gets a kick out of discovering a new crop of venues with each concert tour even as the band returns to many familiar locales.

“I don’t recall ever playing in Shelton before, but it’s fun to perform in new places,” Bluestein said. “We’ve been privileged enough to perform in some great spots, including the Royal Albert Hall in London, which has hosted lots of classic rock greats, including the Beatles.”

Foreigner has played in Lucerne, Switzerland, with the Alps in the background, and at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, just outside of Denver, as well as “unplugged” with an acoustic set in New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Foreigner’s performance at Little Creek will see them joined in singing its hit, “I Want to Know What Love Is,” by the Harstine Island Community Choir, to whom the band is also donating $500.

“We’ve been collaborating with local choirs at our concerts for a while,” Bluestein said. “We’ve been doing it in partnership with the Grammy Foundation to help raise music awareness. When budgets are cut for public schools, funds for music programs are all too often one of the first things to go.”

Bluestein said the goal is to encourage the development of music communities in locales, especially among younger and aspiring musicians.

“It makes me excited to see these groups enjoying broader opportunities to get a taste of playing in front of large audiences,” Blustein said. “In Detroit, the choir who sang with us was practicing their harmonizing on Electric Light Orchestra’s ‘Mr. Blue Sky.’ It was great. We just want to encourage that love of music.”