Foreigner celebrates 50 years at Vilar

Foreigner kicks off its 50-year-anniversary celebration the first night it performs an acoustic show at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek. The party will continue throughout 2027 when the band marks the 50th anniversary of the March 8, 1977 release of its self-titled debut album “Foreigner.”  

“When I started Foreigner in 1976, I never could have imagined that these songs would carry us through 50 years and still resonate with audiences around the world,” said Mick Jones. “This anniversary is a celebration not just of the music, but of the fans who have been with us every step of the way.”

The original musicians don’t perform much anymore — though singer Lou Gramm does lend his lead vocals at special performances, specifically those coming up in April in Florida. And, the energy of Foreigner is still going strong, thanks to Jones not only hand-picking but also playing with long-time band members since the early 2000s.

“It’s one big family that keeps going. Everybody’s very close from the crew to management to the band. You don’t get that in every band. Everybody has the singularity: We love the music, let’s do a great job, we all love each other,” said keyboardist Michael Bluestein. “The way it’s kept its sound is because of Mick Jones … everybody has had the experience playing the songs not just with the person who wrote the song and produced the records but also an original member. I think that adds a lot to why it stayed intact. And nobody’s trying to do anything different. We’re trying to respect and honor the original songs, how they’re recorded and the intention of how they were written.”

The band has recorded 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 top 30 hits and continues to sell out shows worldwide. Anthems include: “Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Long, Long Way From Home” and the worldwide number one global hit, “I Want To Know What Love Is.”

Support Local Journalism

Donate

While they sometimes play with an orchestra — as they’ll do at the beginning of March in Las Vegas, right after their Colorado tour – the Vilar Center features acoustic versions of the songs. 

Playing acoustically took off when a few of the musicians began jamming at local brewhouses, playing covers — mostly Foreigner tunes. 

“It’s just really fun, it’s so loose. There’s no rules, and you get to hear the songs in their most powerful and vulnerable way — and people respond, and we’re having a great time with it, too,” Bluestein said. “We saw how powerful the songs were in a striped down version.

You can’t hide behind anything — you really have to do it.”

The band has more top 10 hits than Journey and as many as Fleetwood Mac.

“The songs are incredibly well written, the topics are timeless — they’re incredibly musical and memorable songs,” he said. “Everything’s very specific in a Foreigner song. If you were to sit down and learn all the parts of the song you would see how every note is meticulously written and that stood the test of time. We’re getting people from all ages singing all the lyrics.”