By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Next year, the legendary band Foreigner will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The group, 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees which has sold over 80 million records worldwide since forming in New York City in 1976, is set to play at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Event Center in Cherokee, N.C. on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 7:30 p.m.
The group’s original line-up included Lou Gramm (vocals), Mick Jones (guitarist), Dennis Elliot (drums), Al Greenwood (keyboards), Ian McDOnald (multi-instrumentalist), and Ed Gagliardi (bass). The current line-up includes: Jones, Jeff Pilson (bass), Kelly Hansen (vocals), Michael Bluestein (keyboards), Chris Frazier (drums), Bruce Watson (guitarist), and Luis Maldonado (guitarist and vocals).
Luis Maldonado (Photo courtesy of Foreigner)
The One Feather spoke recently with Maldonado, Foreigner guitarist who is set to take over lead vocals soon.
“I came into the band because of Mick Jones, and, ultimately, I’m here moving on into the singing position because of Mick Jones,” said Maldonado. “And, when I have someone like that who has written these timeless songs, and believes in me to do that, that’s all I need. What I do is I just focus on delivering songs as they are written because they are written so well. And we perform them to the best of our ability and, you know what, it’s making things happen.”
Maldonado has already begun doing some lead vocals and will take over those duties full-time in a few months. “It’s actually been pretty cool. What I mean by that is that it’s fallen together pretty serendipitously and fairly organic. Being that I’ve been in the band, being that I do the songs night after night, and being that I have everybody’s support, it’s been pretty awesome. The response to it has been pretty incredible, too.”
He said the reception from the fans has been wonderful. “People have been really amazing, and I truly believe that’s just because it’s about the songs. It’s not about me. It’s not about me taking over. It’s about the life of these songs that Mick Jones and Lou Gramm wrote.”
With the group’s 50th anniversary approaching, Maldonado said the excitement is growing. “We’re all excited, everybody involved from the band to our managers, the crew, the fans – we’re all excited because there’s a lot of work to do here still and that’s a good thing.”
Not giving anything away, he did say, “Next year is going to have a lot of surprises…honoring the Foreigner legacy and the legacy of these songs.”
Music has been a part of Maldonado’s life since he started playing at age 7. “My whole family is a musical family. We all grew up studying, performing. I was doing classical guitar and at a very, very young age I was also involved in the orchestra…I loved my rock and roll, too. So, there was never a time that I wasn’t doing music.”
Prior to joining Foreigner in 2021, he played with various artists including John Waite, Lisa Marie Presley, and the band Train.
He clicked immediately with Foreigner. “Joining this band was really like joining like kind. It was really like joining a family. It was really like joining a band of brothers. There was just a synergy that you couldn’t deny, and it was the reason I joined. Not only that, but when you have a leader like Mick Jones that oversees every detail, it’s not just about music. It’s about how people connect.”
“For me, I love being in this band. I can honestly say it’s been my favorite group of people, group of songs. Everything has just been, ‘wow, I’m where I need to be. I love this’.”
Maldonado is very excited about this stage of the band and its future. “It’s been pretty amazing – very organic, very wonderful.”
You can purchase tickets for the Aug. 2 show here: Foreigner Tickets Aug 02, 2025 Cherokee, NC | Ticketmaster
