Waiting for them to sing

Bangalore was the last stop of the five-city tour and City dwellers flocked to the venue in large numbers, queuing up much before the time of the concert to listen to  the musical extravaganza.

The audience included many who had grown up listening to Foreigner. Tracy Jones, an American audience member said, “Back home in 1979, when I was 17 years old, the first concert I went to was Foreigner’s. I have been staying in Bangalore for the last one year and my first concert here is Foreigner’s. It is really a strange coincidence and I am super excited to be here!”

The concert began with the wonderful zitar rendition by Niladri Kumar. He performed four pieces and was accompanied by the talented Gino Banks on drums, Satyajit Talwalkar on tabla, Agnelo Fernandes on keyboard and the prodigious bassy Sheldon D' Silva.  They set the stage on fire with their unconventional tunes and were thoroughly appreciated by the audience.  The drum solo by Gino and the guitar solo by Sheldon need special mention as they left the audience awestruck with their immeasurable energy on stage.
After some world music, it was time for Foreigner to take centre stage. Kelly Hansen, the lead singer, began the concert with the smash hit Double Vision.

His infectious energy on stage left the audience craving for more. This was followed by the popular track Head Games. They also played Cant Slowdown, the title track of their new album, with the same name.

Akhilesh Suresh, a fan said, “I have grown up listening to their music. I am waiting for them to sing Waiting for a Girl Like You.” True to his words, many in the audience broke into a huge applause as soon as this song began. The audience were up on their feet and mouthed the lyrics with a crazed frenzy when some of their all time hits like I want to know what love is, Urgent and Dirty White Boys were played.

For many, Foreigner was like a walk back in time reminding them of those good old days.