“The idea that it would eventually become Foreigner came to me in 1974, when I was 30,” Jones says. “At the end of this farewell tour, it’s been over 50 years, which is a very long time to be on the road and doing shows.” Foreigner’s latest tour will kick off in the US on July 6 next year. There is no final end date yet.
Kelly Hansen has fronted the band since 2005 and tells Billboard that the split is something he and Jones have been talking about for a while. “It is a difficult decision to make. I never thought in a million years that I’d still be singing songs like this at my age,” says the 61-year-old singer. “And I don’t know how much longer I can continue to do it at the level I want myself to.”
Both Hansen and Jeff Pilson, bassist for Foreigner since 2004, say Foreigner will also be releasing some new music in the near future. “There’s a lot of stuff in development, so it’s certainly within the realm of possibility,” predicts Hansen. The band’s latest album, Can’t Slow Down, was released in 2009.
