Foreigner - Live: Soundstage
Performance
Production
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Foreigner - Live: Soundstage
Performance
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These PBS Soundstage performances have always been a mixed blessing for me. Yes, it may be your only chance to catch a recent performance from your favorite artist, but the presentation of most of these shows has been way too glitzy and sterile for my taste. They are more of a TV show promoting a TV show, than a concert video promoting the artist. The lack of any special features about the bands also hammers this point home. The Soundstage producers must have been taking all of my hate mail and death threats to heart though, because each season has seen a steady improvement in production quality, and especially at presenting a more authentic concert experience. This latest Foreigner Live offering may be the best one yet. Anyone who is over thirty years old, and who ever listened to mainstream rock radio (when there used to be such a thing), will likely be intimately familiar with the band Foreigner. The ten year period between the release of their self-titled debut album in 1997, and their last platinum selling album, Inside Information, in 1987, Foreigner were arena rock kings. I am not going to go into the whole Foreigner history here, but many will say that when Mick Jones, the only original band member remaining, reformed the band in 2004, Foreigner were reduced to just a glorified cover band. Fair enough, but what a glorious, glorified cover band they are. Jones brought in some ace musicians including Jeff Pilson, formerly of Dokken, on bass, Jason Bonham, son of the legendary Led Zeppelin tub smasher, John Bonham, on drums, and Tom Gimbel on guitar and saxophone. Michael Bluestein is their current tour keyboardist. This comeback could not have really been taken seriously though, had Jones not struck gold with his new lead vocalist, Kelly Hansen. Hansen is a dead ringer for original Foreigner frontman Lou Graham, and he has all of the energy, charisma, and powerhouse vocals to make this comeback a success. I could not believe just how good Hansen and the band sounded when I heard the Alive & Rockin' DVD, and I was even more impressed when I saw them live in concert last year. If you had pretty much written Foreigner off for dead, as I had, allow this excellent new DVD to give them another chance. Foreigner Soundstage Live was filmed in Chicago in late 2008. I could not find the exact recording date, but I think it may have been in November. Hansen mentions it being very cold there, before launching into, what else, "Cold As Ice." The setlist features16 of the band's biggest hits, as well as the new song, "Too Late," which was also included on last year's new compilation album, No End In Site: The Very Best of Foreigner. The show begins with Jones bathed in white spotlights as he fires off the opening riff to the Foreigner 4 lead track, "Night Life", before the rest of the band and the dazzling light show join in several seconds later. The opener bleeds right into "Head Games," where if you close your eyes you will swear you are listening to Lou Graham, circa 1979, up there on stage. Don't take this the wrong way though. Although, Hansen can sound like a dead ringer for a young Lou Graham when he wants to, and he should, he also imposes enough of his own style to make all of the performances unique. The new song, "Too Late", holds its own nicely amongst all of the other Foreigner classics. I'd definitely be interested to hear an album of new material from this current lineup. They are supposedly working on one as we speak. One of the surprise highlights of the set was the acoustic makeover of their 1987 hit single "Say You Will." With the exception of Bonham, everyone in the band contributes some background vocals, and they show off some dazzling harmonies on this one. Before launching into "Dirty White Boy," Hansen explains to the crowd that the song was actually written about Elvis Presley. You'd never know it from the lyrics though. I prefer to keep thinking it was written about me. One of the things I appreciate about this new Foreigner is that they got themselves an honest to goodness sax player, in Tom Gimbel, to play the parts in songs like "Long, Long Way Home," and "Urgent," instead of just relying on some cheesy synth samples. His performance on "Urgent" nearly steals the show. The highlight of the show was probably the first set finale of "Juke Box Hero" - the story of my life when I was a teenager. After an extended Jason Bonham drum solo, you finally hear the familiar heartbeat-like synthesizer riff that signals the start of the song. Jones and the boys take several left turns during this wildly improvised rendition, including a monster jam on Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." The production quality of this DVD is immaculate. The picture is one of the most pristine Hi-Def transfers you are likely to see - I can only imagine how good the Blu-Ray must look. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track provides a near perfect listening experience, and a strong PCM stereo track is your other choice. The camera work was exceptional. This current Soundstage crew is one of the best in the business. I rated the Alive & Rockin' performance slightly higher than this one only because that one was a little more raw and energized. They had more to prove opening for a bunch of European metal-heads who had probably never heard of Foreigner. Here, they were being recorded for a TV show in front of a crowd full of adoring fans. Still a great performance, just a completely different experience. It's great to have them both. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - July 2009 |
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Running Time: 105 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - April 2009 |