Music to classic band that snatched fans in SP a few meters from the System of a Down concert

The Barra Funda region, in São Paulo, received two of the three shows of the system of a Down In the city: on Saturday, 10, and Sunday, 11. On the first date, another rock band – with less heavy and more melodic sound – snatched fans about 1 km away: Foreigner.

The group came to Brazil for a unique presentation, in the Unimed space, for a numerous audience than the native of the Event House, but no less dedicated. For those who do not know, Foreigner was created in 1976 and grew a lot in popularity in the 70s and 80s, becoming a strong representative of the so-called AOR-an even more radio version of what was conventionally called Hard Rock. Hits such as “I Want To Know What Love Is”, “Cold As Ice”, “Hot Blooded” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” are part of their repertoire, ostensibly touched by “Flashback” -themed events and radio programs.

In recent years, guitarist and only remaining founding member Mick Jones has moved away from activities due to a diagnosis of Parkinson. Foreigner announced a farewell tour, but halfway he realized that he would go on without his leader.

Did you become bandwidth? We don’t know, but that’s how we got to the confusion that Foreigner is 2025, when several shows were announced, but the singer since 2004, Kelly Hansen, can’t do any of them outside the United States. The Canadian tour will have Geordie Brown, who starred in the musical “Juke Box Hero” in 2019. In Latin America, they confirmed that Lou Gramm, original singer, would be present, but without specifying how many songs – he had already participated in performances in 2017 and 2018, but his 75 years would not allow him a full performance. Then guitarist Luis Maldonado took over the main microphone.

How was the Foreigner show

The show in Sao Paulo started without Lou Gramm, which would appear only in the last four songs. Luis Maldonado (voice), Jeff Pilson (bass, keyboard), Michael Bluestein (keyboard), Bruce Watson (guitar), Damon Fox (guitar, bass) and Chris Frazier (drums) found an audience that still needed to be convinced. The surprise of many was clear with Luis, announced on the local producer’s website as a guitarist, in Frontman’s position. His physique is not imposing and his apparent age did not help attract much attention.

The artist of Mexican origin, however, managed to convince with the most important: vocal quality. As the initial set unfolded in the incredible opening “Double Vision”-a very obvious and very attractive construction song-the Hard Rock anthem “Head Games” and the Queen-Sca “Cold as Ice”, Luis, was increasingly fans with an interpretation extremely similar to Lou Gramm’s. In a blind audition, anyone would say it was a pre-recorded Gramm performance at its height. It wasn’t. At the height of the “Waiting for a Girl Like You” ballad, this young look, that young visual singer was already aligned already had much of the audience in his hands and, in the presence of a stage, began to let go even more. Fairly, at the end of this track, Jeff Pilson-almost a co-frontman-pulled his colleague and applied for him.

Maldonado and Pilson are the highlights of an impeccable bandaça who is concerned with performing the repertoire as faithfully as possible to the original recordings. There are times when songs extend to include some solo or interaction, but the feeling most of the time is listening to the disc, such perfection. And without tricks. Nothing is pre-recorded, not even the backing vocals: everyone except Frazier really sings and could see when one or another forgot to go to the microphone or arrived late to contribute in this regard.

Too bad the set performed in Brazil was the shortest version, with 12 songs and 1h25min duration – I could see the clock on the side of the stage they ended with 5 minutes left. In some other countries, a 14 -track set was executed, including the intricate “Blue Morning, Blue Day” and the affable “Fool for You Anyway.” This is not this time that Brazil listened to this pair of songs, but it had room for the dramatic ballad “That was Yesterday” – quoted by Luis as his favorite of the set -, the rocker “Dirty White Boy” – lyrics about Elvis Presley – and the group’s first hit, “Feels Like The Frist Time”, apparently with slower and half -tone execution.

The surrounding “Urgent”, with Keytar replacing saxophone and smoke machine firing, preceded the only unnecessary set of set: a ten -minute solo, distributed in two keyboard and battery halves. From then on, however, there is the most anticipated moment, which is the entry of Lou Gramm.

The presence of Lou Gramm

Acclaimed from the first step on stage and the first word sung, the original frontman participated in the second part of “Juke Box Hero” and sang entirely to hard rocker “long, long way from home”, the superb and superhit “I Want to Know What Love Is” and the closing “Hot Blood” – In this, Luis Maldonado takes a guitar and makes his soil as hers vocal performance throughout the night. Lou, oddly enough, didn’t stay behind. It sang so well, even in the sharper tones, to the point of generating the question: What would it be like if he commanded the whole set?

Perhaps we can even discover one day in the near future, as anything can happen in this company called Foreigner. Gramm ended the show saying “We will see each other soon”, but In an interview with Rolling Stone BrasilHe said the current tour was the “penultimate of the band as we know it.” You can’t know what will happen. Two years ago, this reunion was impossible, as Lou openly criticized Kelly Hansen for allegedly imitating him-something Luis does and now receives support from the original frontman.

Surprising or not, Foreigner did an impeccable show in Sao Paulo, even in front of a smaller audience than deserved. Perfect execution of such a strong repertoire that it makes a lot of people don’t even care about those who perform it, as long as with quality. If this band became a company, I proudly say that I became a client. [Resenha publicada originalmente no site Igor Miranda.]

+++ Read more: Foreigner in Brazil: Lou Gramm talks to RS about show, Hall of Fame and Hit that even Edson and Hudson rewrote
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+++ Read more: Other interviews conducted by journalist Igor Miranda to Rolling Stone Brasil
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+++ Follow journalist Igor Miranda @igormirandasite on Instagram