Foreigner performing at Freedom Hall on Oct. 15

Veteran rock-and-roll band Foreigner will bring some of their greatest hits to Freedom Hall Civic Center next Friday.

Foreigner was formed in 1976, and since then has sold over 80 million albums and is responsible for some of the biggest hits of the 1980s, including “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero.”

While the band will be playing their greatest hits during the tour, Foreigner is far from stuck in the ’80s. In 2019, Foreigner saw their biggest ever one-week digital single sales, and the band’s album sales were at their highest since the 1980s. The band also sees nearly 2 million Spotify streams a week.

Jeff Pilson, the bassist for Foreigner, said young fans are, in part, to thank for that.

“I”m amazed at how many young people there are who seem to really know the songs,” Pilson said. “I mean that’s impressive. So yeah, we have a combination. Of course we have the diehards and the longtime fans, which is great, but we do have some new people.”

Over the last four decades, Foreigner has had 16 Top 30 hits and nine Top 10 hits. Despite the numbers, Pilson said fans are always surprised just how well they know the band’s music.

“What 99.9% of the people that go to these shows always say to us is, ‘I forgot how many Foreigner songs I knew. In fact, I didn’t even know I knew that many Foreigner songs,’” Pilson said.

The David Crockett High School Choir will be opening for Foreigner with a 10-minute a capella set of songs. The choir will perform outside the venue before Foreigner takes the stage. The band will also be donating $500 to Crockett’s choir program.

Pilson said show attendees can expect a memorable, high-energy show.

“You’re gonna know a lot of the music,” Pilson said. “You’re gonna have a lot of fun. You’re gonna be singing your lungs out the whole time. There’s a lot of crowd participation, and I think you’re going to walk away having a real great night. That’s our job.”

Foreigner will perform on Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased at https://www.foreigneronline.com/tour.

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