Singer Kelly Hansen performed his final two shows with Foreigner this past weekend on October 10th and 11th with a two-night stand at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Hansen, 64, fronted the bulk of both shows, giving way to his successor, singer-guitarist Luis Maldonado, for a rendition of “Juke Box Hero” as a teaser of what’s to come. Maldonado joined the band in 2021 as a guitarist and filled in on lead vocals during Foreigner’s last Latin American tour. He was named as Hansen’s replacement in May.
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Each night’s 13-song setlist was essentially a greatest-hits package, with the band inviting out the Egg Harbor Township High School Choir for an encore performance of “I Want to Know What Love Is.” During the final show, prior to this song, Hansen stepped in front of the mic to deliver an emotional farewell speech, thaking the band’s crew, managers Phil Carson and Stewart Young, the audience, and his friends and family who made the trip to the final gig.
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“I have a whole bunch of friends who support me,” said Hansen (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I have many friends who have traveled a long way to be here tonight, and I wanna say thank you to all of them, because when it comes down to it, it’s friends and family — it’s friends and family, really. And one last thing: I wanna thank my wife. [She] changed my life. I got married for the first time at 59 years old.”
He concluded, fighting back tears: “So that’s my list. And just thank you, guys, for being here. Thank you, guys. And I’m speaking collectively to not only you guys who are here tonight, but whoever might be viewing this on the Internet sometime later. Thank you all for all of your support. I’ve been in this business, I think, about 48, 49 years. I put in my time. I spent 20 years with this fantastic band singing a catalog of songs that a singer couldn’t dream of. And thank you.”
Bassist Jeff Pilson also addressed audience prior to the encore to reflect on two decades performing alongside the singer.
“Tonight we are saying a very loving goodbye to someone who has made such a difference with this band, and he’s been so important in helping take it to where it’s right now,” said Pislon. “So please help me — a very emotional me, a very emotional all of us — say, one last time, thank you…”
Foreigner are getting right work in the post-Kelly Hansen era, kicking off a Canadian tour next week with singer-actor Geordie Brown — the lead in the Foreigner musical Jukebox Hero — fronting the band. After that, Foreigner will embark on a US tour featuring original singer Lou Gramm in December. These dates will see Gramm performing select songs alongside Maldonado, and you can get tickets here.
Watch footage of Kelly Hansen’s farewell speech below.