Former FOREIGNER Singer Accuses Band's Current Lineup Of 'Misleading' Fans

Former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm has accused the current version of the band of "misleading" the fans and "false advertising" by recruiting a singer, Kelly Hansen, whose delivery so closely mimics Gramm's performance on such classic songs as "Cold As Ice", "Waiting For A Girl Like You" and "Feels Like The First Time".

When asked by Spinner.com if it's strange to know that he is being "replicated," in a sense, at FOREIGNER's current concerts, Gramm replied, "It is. It totally is. But what's stranger to me is that, as I've learned talking to people who see those shows, is that in many cases the audience, especially if they're younger, don't even know it's not the original lead singer. In FOREIGNER's case, as I understand it, the singer was actually trained to deliver pretty much exactly everything as I did it, note for note. If I were in the audience and learned that while I was there, I'd get up and leave. I think when the band name remains the exact same, but something as important as the lead vocal is different, it's misleading. It's like false advertising."

According to AllMusic Guide, Gramm was sidelined with several health issues in the late 1990s. He was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor on the eve of the band's planned Japanese tour in 1997, and the surgery that followed damaged his pituitary gland. After a year of rehabilitation and radiation treatment, the singer made a full recovery and resumed touring in 1999. He split with FOREIGNER once again in 2003, however, preferring to tour in support of his solo material instead.

Fan-filmed video footage of the current lineup of FOREIGNER performing the song "Urgent" on July 21, 2011 at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah can be seen below.