Upstate NY singer explains why he won’t perform with Foreigner on tour: Buzz

An Upstate New York singer reunited with his band at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, but don’t expect him to appear on their tour.
Lou Gramm, a Rochester native who currently lives in Webster, N.Y., is pouring cold water on reports he might make appearances at Foreigner’s farewell tour dates in 2025. In a new interview with Sirius XM’s Eddie Trunk, Gramm confirmed he was asked to do “some shows with the band,” whose touring lineup currently features no original members.
“They want to do a substantial tour of the world, which doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t want to be out 8 or 10 months again without seeing my kids,” said Gramm, 74.
Gramm added that he wasn’t sure about playing “with another band that calls themself Foreigner,” suggesting a touring with “other members of the original Foreigner with augmented instrumentation, like another guitar player or something.” But the real issue appeared to be over which songs he could perform with the current band, led by singer Kelly Hansen.
“I said, well I’d like to do ‘Jukebox Hero’. [Foreigner’s manager] goes, ‘I’m not sure about that,’” Gramm said of the discussion. “I said, ‘Well, I definitely want to do ‘I Want to Know What Love Is.’ He says, ‘I don’t think so, Lou.’ … So it sounds as if he talked to Kelly about it and Kelly made his claims on certain songs.”
Gramm, the original voice of hits like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Feels Like the First Time,” also dismissed any concerns about his vocal abilities.
“No,” he told SiriusXM. “Their concerns [are] about Kelly’s ego.”
Foreigner has one Upstate New York concert scheduled for next year on Aug. 7 at the Erie County Fair.
Gramm, meanwhile, confirmed he plans to retire soon to spend more time with his seven-year-old daughter and his classic and muscle car collection. He told Trunk that a new album will be released in January and then plans to do concerts until May or June (including a Feb. 8 performance at the Palace Theatre in Albany).
“And that’s gonna be it for me,” Gramm said.
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