The classic rock mainstay plays Grand Rapids’ Acrisure Amphitheater on Saturday, part of the “Double Trouble/Vision Tour.” The Local Spins interview with Foreigner singer Luis Maldonado.
On the Road Again: Foreigner returns to Grand Rapids on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)
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It was a “Blue Day” when lead singer Kelly Hansen announced his retirement from Foreigner.
Hansen had tired of life on the road after 20 years of giving his all to the classic rock band. At age 64, he needed to work harder than ever to maintain the quality of his performance, and he was determined to go out while he was still at the top of his game.
Guitarist Luis Maldonado recalls asking him to reconsider. “I went to Kelly in his dressing room several times and said, ‘Can you rethink this?’ There’s so much life in these songs, in this band.”
To no avail. “Kelly wanted to retire. I get it. I have a family. I don’t like being away 11 months of the year. But I don’t think anybody else in the band wanted to stop,” says Maldonado.
Turned out he was right: There was still life in the songs and in the band. And to his surprise, he was the one elected to carry on.
“I never set out to sing (lead) for this band,” Maldonado says. Yet here he is, singing his heart out on “Cold As Ice,” “Waiting,” “Urgent,” “Blue Morning, Blue Day” and the rest of Foreigner’s rich catalog of hits.
Maldonado says his ascension into the frontman role happened organically. He and bandmates Bruce Watson, Jeff Pilson and Michael Bluestein started playing small acoustic VIB shows. These “Very Important Beer” performances were acoustic shows at brewpubs or featuring local breweries, blending rock music with craft beer culture.
Luis Maldonado: Carrying the Foreigner torch. (Courtesy Photo)
They would play a healthy selection of Foreigner tunes among other covers. While they all sang, Maldonado eventually found himself singing the bulk of the sets. “It grew from there,” Maldonado says.
“I’ve always been a singer,” he continues. “But never the lead singer without a guitar.”
The band’s manager came to one of the VIB performances and mentioned the possibility of Maldonado singing lead for the band. Then Pilson approached him. “He said, ‘Are you interested in singing some songs to see?’ I said ‘Yes.’ It was very step by step.”
So Maldonado and his bandmates began to consider the possibility of his stepping into the lead role. That included the dynamic Hansen, one of the nicest men in the rock ‘n’ roll world, who was fine with the band carrying on without him. (Original lead singer Lou Gramm last performed with Foreigner in 2003.)
Still, there remained one hurdle. Maldonado needed the blessing of band founder Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of the band who doesn’t often tour due to health reasons. “What really did it was Mick,” says Maldonado. “Mick is meticulous, mindful of every detail. He picked every person in this band. He heard my voice and said, ‘This is the guy.’”
Perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Maldonado comes from a musical background.
“My family are all musicians. My wife is a classically trained cellist, my nephew too,” he said.
His rich performing background including playing with his family and a host of prime-time rock acts. Prior to joining Foreigner in 2021 as rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist, Maldonado was a member of pop-rock stalwarts Train, alongside his brother Hector on bass. He had also toured extensively with such artists as John Waite, Lisa Marie Presley and Glenn Hughes.
So he knew the industry, and more importantly, he knew Foreigner. He was aware of its legacy, dating back to 1976, when guitarist and keyboardist Mick Jones enlisted fellow Brits
Dennis Elliott on drums and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and Americans Ed Gagliardi (bass), Al Greenwood (keyboards) and lead vocalist Lou Gramm.
As a member of the band for five years, Maldonado knew the music and how the band worked. He began singing some leads during the band’s tour of South America in 2025 – some in Spanish – when Hansen was unable to participate, and took over fulltime as the frontman upon Hansen’s departure.
So Maldonado will have had a full year fronting the band when it appears at Acrisure Amphitheater on Saturday (Aug. 1) with special guest Lynyrd Skynyrd, part of the co-headlining “Double Trouble/Vision Tour.” Tickets, $35-$189.90, are available online here. Lawn seats are $24.75 each by purchasing a “Summer of Live” four-pack.
The singer is excited about continuing the band’s legacy. “The songs are staying alive,” he says. “If you go to one of our shows, you’ll notice a group giving it their all, playing the instruments in real time, no tracks.”
Maldonado says the joy for him comes not only from performing but in being a part of music he loves. He also says he doesn’t miss the security blanket of his guitar. “No, everybody’s asking that,” he says with a laugh. “It’s the most natural thing I’ve ever done. It’s liberating. I can give complete attention to the song and performance.”
Maldonado has developed a deep friendship with Lou Gramm, the band’s original vocalist. Gramm has guested on several shows, and he and Maldonado have appeared together on YouTube chats.
Maldonado says Gramm has told him there are still Foreigner songs that were recorded during his time in the band. “In Lou’s words, there are songs in the vault,” he says of material that may be released at some point.
When asked if there might there be new recording sessions with him singing lead, Maldonado demurred from making any commitment, though he alluded to the possibility. “There’s so much work (still) to do. Recordings, performances with orchestra, we do have some songs Mick and I wrote.”
Mostly, though, it’s about showcasing the songs that made the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees one of the biggest bands on the planet, whether that’s through live shows or exposure of the group’s songs on shows like “Wednesday” or “Stranger Things.”
“We have a history and (want to) keep the music alive,” Maldonado says.
VIDEO: Foreigner, “Urgent” (Live in Halifax)
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