If you sang along to the radio in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, you sang songs by Foreigner. You heard their hits in the car, at teenage parties, high school proms and beach blowouts, blaring from a boom box until the batteries died. You doggedly dialed a local radio station to request a song, so you could record it for a mixtape.
Songs like, “I Wanna Know What Love Is,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Feels Like the First Time,” and dozens of others helped define the classic rock era.
And based on the crowd at the Key West Amphitheater on March 10, no one has forgotten the lyrics.
Foreigner played Key West as part of its farewell tour — 47 years after Mick Jones founded the band that featured three Brits and three Americans. Band members changed throughout the decades due to death and departures, but Jones has continued until this, his final tour. In addition to Jones, Foreigner currently includes Kelly Hansen, Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein, Bruce Watson, Chris Frazier and Luis Maldonado.
The Key West show also featured a talented group of guest performers — the Key West High School Choir, which joined Foreigner in singing, “I Wanna Know What Love Is.”
Today’s digital streaming technology has introduced the band to a younger audience, and for the past year or two, Foreigner has invited local high school students to perform a song with them on stage. Key West students used the opportunity to pay tribute to Jim Carter, their choir director, who is also retiring this year.
