Iconic '70s Rock Band Walks Back Retirement Plans 2 Years After Announcing Farewell Tour
Iconic ’70s Rock Band Walks Back Retirement Plans 2 Years After Announcing Farewell Tour originally appeared on Parade.
Foreigner fans are breathing a sign of relief after the iconic 1970s rock band revealed they wouldn’t be retiring after all.
“There’s just a lot of forward movement, and the band is incredibly excited,” bassist Jeff Pilson said in an interview with Billboard published on June 25. “What started off as being a farewell tour now ended up being Kelly [Hansen’s] last tour and (the band) moving forward.”
Hansen stepped in to replace original lead singer Lou Gramm in 2005 and became Foreigner’s third frontman. In 2022, the band announced that they would kick off their “Historic Farewell Tour” in the summer of 2023.
“The time has come. We have more or less lived our lives on the road for almost eighteen years. We have always strived to give you our best and we intend to finish this the same way,” Hansen said in a statement shared on Foreigner’s website on November 14, 2022. “Foreigner has a brilliant and increasingly demanding catalogue of songs to sing and I refuse to give them less than they deserve. So, we’re going to finish strong. I want to make it very clear how grateful and appreciative we are to our audiences all over the world who have supported this band. I’m sure there may be occasions when we’ll do some special appearances, but I think the time is coming for us to live off the road. Thank you all so much!”
However, during the season finale of The Voice in May, Hansen stepped aside mid-performance as the group announced that longtime guitarist Luis Maldonado would be taking over as Foreigner’s lead singer.
“After 20 magical years fronting this band, this will be my last year with Foreigner,” Hansen said during the episode. “At the end of this summer, a new great voice will sing these songs for you: my friend, Luis Maldonado.”
Pilson told the outlet that everyone was supportive of Maldonado, and the move created a “united front” with members of the band – old and new.
“We’re able to integrate everything, not only with Lou but everything about Foreigner, into the present,” Pilson explained. “Making this change, with Luis, with Mick [Jones] and Lou’s endorsement and having the whole organization working more together, has been such a positive thing.”
Iconic ’70s Rock Band Walks Back Retirement Plans 2 Years After Announcing Farewell Tour first appeared on Parade on Jun 26, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.