Foreigner has announced two consecutive tour legs without Kelly Hansen, first in Canada and then in Latin America. Thus far, it’s been unclear what is keeping him off the road.
Hansen has now revealed what’s going on behind the scenes: Turns out, “residency issues have forced me to limit appearances outside of the USA this year and this means that I will miss some international shows.”
Foreigner’s Latin American dates are set to begin on April 28 in Mexico City. Bandmate Luis Maldonado will handle most of these shows, with a few special appearances by original frontman Lou Gramm. Foreigner will then play dates in October and November across Canada. Geordie Brown will fill in for Hansen for the fall concerts. “I know they will smash it!” Hansen said in an official statement.
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Hansen confirms that he’s still in the lineup for Foreigner’s U.S. spring shows, and will return for scheduled concerts this summer.
“We had a great start to our touring year with a sold-out run in Florida, and I am so looking forward to continuing my journey with this incredible band,” Hansen added. “We will be headlining the pre-race concert at the Long Beach Grand Prix on April 12 and continuing through the year with over 60 more shows.”
Brown starred in the original workshop productions of the Foreigner-themed Juke Box Hero musical in Calgary and Edmonton, as well as a sold-out run in Toronto. Meanwhile, Maldonado had already been re-recording some of Foreigner’s hits in Spanish.
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