Saturday August 26th, 2023, original Foreigner singer Lou Gramm will be at Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill with Steve Augeri and John Payne. We caught up with Lou via Zoom. We began talking about the show. When asked how it feels to be back out touring Lou said, “It feels fantastic, I’m enjoying every show.” He commented how all the shows are a “Little different” and players are loosening up while still being locked into the groove.
We discussed the number of hits to be heard during the show. Lou of course brings his catalog of hits from Foreigner and then also on the tour is Steve Augeri who sang with Journey and John Payne of Asia who bring the hits from those bands as well. Lou commented how he enjoys singing his set and watching both Steve and John’s sets.
If you’ve ever tried singing along to a Foreigner song on the radio you’ve probably discovered that Lou is a great vocalist. That brought on a discussion of how Lou keeps his voice in shape while touring. Singing Foreigner’s hits is Lou singing songs he wrote or co-wrote. In fact, 10 years ago, Lou was inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lou spoke about how it felt to be recognized by his peers with that induction. From there we spoke about if Lou is still writing. He told us that he is indeed still writing and is currently working on a new album that is about 90% done. He said that we could see something possibly by the end of 2023 or early in 2024.
We also spent some time talking to Lou about his car collection. Lou says he is thinning out his collection. Part of that conversation was about difficulty in finding parts for vintage cars and in finding mechanics who have the skill and knowledge to work on classic cars.
Lou and I hadn’t spoken in years. The last time we did speak he had mentioned there were unreleased songs that he had written with his partner in Foreigner, Mick Jones. When we inquired if those songs might still see the light of day and if any of them might end up on his coming album Lou said no. He said he doesn’t think they will ever see the light of day and he hopes they never surface with someone else singing them. Lou commented that they were some really great song ideas and that he and Mick were on the same page while writing them and that he feels they are some of the best things they have ever written. Lou talked about some controversy about possession of copies of the songs. Having to do with Lou sharing with Foreigner his copies of the songs before realizing he currently doesn’t have any copies for himself. When Lou requested a copy from Foreigner management, he said their response was “We’ll see.”
Watch our conversation above, catch Lou with Steve Augeri and John Payne at Catholic Health Amphitheater at Bald Hill on Saturday August 26th, 2023, and keep up to date on everything Lou Gramm here.