Foreigner-July 30, 2021@The Maverik Center in West Valley City, UT

A setlist of hits from Foreigner brought the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah back to life on Friday July 30, 2021 after 15 months of silence.  A crowd of all ages packed the arena, and Foreigner provided a show that took some to a place they had not been in years, while others created memories, they will be able to look back on years from now.

The show opened with “Double Vision,” and instantly the crowd came to life.  “Head Games” followed and it was easy to see that the band may have had almost a year and a half off but they were playing like a fine tuned engine.  Singer Kelly Hansen engaged the crowd with a few stories and some bantering while bassist Jeff Pilson eagerly pumped the crowd up with his energy.  As the show continued Jeff handed bass duties to rhythm guitar player Luis Maldonado while he played piano for “Cold As Ice.” 

The paced slowed down with “Waiting For a Girl Like You” and provided an amazing light show.  One darkhorse in the setlist was “Blue Morning, Blue Day.” 

“Dirty White Boy” brought hands to the sky and chants to the song’s chorus.  Hands stayed airborne as lead guitarist Bruce Watson transitioned into “Feels Like the First Time.”  It was at that point in the show when I realized I was at a show with people again.  It was a surreal moment, one I had been waiting for what seemed to be a lifetime to experience again.  “Urgent” was up next. This song took me on a trip down memory lane, as it was from the first Foreigner album I bought.   During what would normally be the sax solo in the song, keyboardist Michael Bluestein preformed an amazing keytar solo.  I have seen the keytar used in concerts but I have never seen a solo that rivaled a guitar solo. 

At this point most of the band took a break while Bluestein and drummer Chris Frazier tagged teamed solos which climaxed into the moment I had been waiting the whole night for.  The keyboard combined with the drum beat of “Juke Box Hero” and the crowd loudly exhaled in joy.  The song signifies what Rock and Roll is and has been;  making dreams come true with music. 

The band exited the stage for a few minutes and came back for an encore that started with “Long, Long Way From Home.”  The beat slowed down and Jeff reconnected with the keyboard for “I Wanna Know What Love is.”  Arguably one of Foreigner’s most popular songs the arena glistened with the light from cellphones and the occasional lighter.  The show came to an end with the anthem “Hot Blooded.”

At the end of the night I realized how much live music is a part of not only my life but the lives of all the people who attended the show. We take for granted things that we have become used to and when they are not there anymore we soon realize how much we need them for our well being. Foreigner made memories for the young that attended the show, while others revisited a place where those souvenirs were once collected. You can catch Foreigner on their “Greatest Hits” tour all summer and into the fall, in an arena near you.

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