Concert Review: Foreigner @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, CT 8/31/21

On August 31st, Foreigner took over Connecticut’s newest large music venue – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport. The evolved lineup of this classic band consists of Kelly Hansen (ex-Hurricane) on vocals, Jeff Pilson (ex-Dokken) on bass, Bruce Watson on guitar, Luis Maldonado on guitar and Chris Frazier on drums. I wasn’t sure what I would think of the show since I have only ever heard a few Foreigner tunes in my life – but they definitely gained a new fan. 

The show kicked off with “Double Vision” where all of the band members ran full speed to the front of the stage creating an electric start to the night. For the third song of the set, “Cold As Ice”, Jeff Pilson took on the keyboard and Luis Maldonado took on bass. A fan in the front row showed her love by handing frontman Kelly Hansen a bouquet of red roses. Bassist Jeff Pilson even ended up wrapping one of those roses around his bass for the remainder of the set. After a fantastic performance of “Urgent” featuring a keytar solo, it was time for the drum/keyboard dual solo section. This was absolutely not a section of the show to be missed. The drums kicked in for “Jukebox Hero” and the audience began to clap along as a silhouetted Kelly Hansen strutted onstage. 

The night closed out with a 10/10 encore featuring “Long, Long Way From Home”, “I Want To Know What Love Is” and “Hot Blooded”. All I have to say is that Foreigner is a well-oiled machine with the personality and musicality to tour for years and years to come.

Setlist:

Double Vision
Head Games
Cold as Ice
Waiting for a Girl Like You
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Dirty White Boy
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent
Keyboard and Drum Solo
Juke Box Hero

Encore:
Long, Long Way From Home
I Want to Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded