FOREIGNER To Be Joined By LOU GRAMM And Other Original Members At Select 40th-Anniversary Shows

According to Billboard, FOREIGNER will be joined by original members Lou Gramm, Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood on select dates on the band's 40th-anniversary tour this summer. Support on the trek, which kicks off July 11 in Syracuse and runs through through September 9 in Auburn, Washington, will come from CHEAP TRICK and JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE.

"[Gramm, McDonald and Greenwood are] not on the whole tour, but there will be some appearances," FOREIGNER guitarist Mick Jones told Billboard. "It's the right time to do this. I'm looking forward to that and we'll see how it goes, and I'm sure it'll go down well."

Tickets for the tour go on sale January 13 via Live Nation.

To coincide with the tour, FOREIGNER — Mick Jones (lead guitar),Kelly Hansen (lead vocals),Jeff Pilson (bass, vocals),Tom Gimbel (rhythm guitar, sax, vocals),Michael Bluestein (keyboards),Bruce Watson (guitar) and Chris Frazier (drums) — will release a celebratory 40th-anniversary album, titled "40 - Forty Hits From Forty Years" (Rhino),that features forty FOREIGNER tracks throughout the years. This album is a comprehensive compilation of original hits and several tracks from the current lineup with Kelly Hansen on vocals, including "Can't Slow Down", "Too Late" and the Top 20 AC hit "When It Comes To Love". The album also features two new songs, "The Flame Still Burns" and "Give My Life For Love", a brand new song by Jones. Rhino is kicking off a year-long catalog promotion with the January 24 picture disc release of "Head Games".

Prior to the summer tour, FOREIGNER will play a number of U.S. concerts beginning on January 30, and will embark on a European tour in late May.

"A Foreigner's Tale", the band's first-ever official biography, will be made available in various formats, including a limited edition. Produced in conjunction with Rocket 88 Books, it tells the story of FOREIGNER in the words of Jones.

As previously reported, Jones was joined by Gramm, Greenwood and McDonald for the December 5, 2016 platinum plaque presentation of 2008's "No End In Sight: The Very Best Of Foreigner" (Atlantic Records/Rhino Entertainment),a double-disc collection featuring the band's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded" and "I Want To Know What Love Is". It also includes a brand new song, "Too Late", as well as live performances by the current lineup that features Jones, lead singer Kelly Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson, rhythm guitarist/saxophonist Tom Gimbel, and keyboardist Michael Bluestein.

Left to right in photo above: Ian McDonald, Al Greenwood, Craig Kallman (Atlantic Records chairman and CEO),Mick Jones, Lou Gramm

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine