Foreigner Shares Who Will Attend Their Rock Hall Induction
Foreigner and their long-awaited induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will take place tomorrow night (October 18), but not everyone in the band will be there.
The band shared a statement via Facebook saying, “Foreigner is greatly looking forward to Saturday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The band will be joined by Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson in a set celebrating the induction of the guys who started it all almost fifty years ago. Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Rick Wills will be there to accept the awards on behalf of the band’s leader and founder Mick Jones, drummer Dennis Elliott, and Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who are no longer with us.”
Per Billboard, Elliott is reportedly skipping the Rock Hall induction due to only band members being allowed to walk the red carpet sans their spouses.
Jones, who’s the last remaining original member of Foreigner still in the band, said in his own statement, “I’ve always liked to be at my best when performing onstage, and sadly, at present, I find that a bit difficult. I am still very much involved in the background with Foreigner and remain a presence.”
In February, Jones revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a number of years ago. He revealed the news in a statement via social media. He said, in part, “I want everyone to know that I am doing alright, however, I’ve always like to be at my best when performing onstage, and sadly at present find that a bit difficult.”
Jones further noted, “The important thing is to persevere with the loving support of my family, and remind myself of the wonderful career I’ve had in music.”
Foreigner was finally nominated for the Rock Hall in 2024 after being eligible since 2003. Some major names campaigned to get people to cast their vote for the band this year. One of them was Paul McCartney. In a brief video clip shared by Rhino Records, Sir Paul says direct-to-camera, “Foreigner? Not in the Hall of Fame? What the f—?!” (I can’t embed the video in this article due to current company “best practices,” but you can watch Macca drop a whimsical f-bomb here.)
In addition to Macca, an all-star group of musicians are featured in the video below touting the brilliance of the classic rock band. Those all-star musicians include Dave Grohl, Slash, Josh Homme, Chad Smith and Jack Black.
This video was organized by mega-producer Mark Ronson, who happens to be the stepson of Foreigner founder/guitarist Mick Jones. Ronson acknowledges his connection to Foreigner via Jones, but he’s also a fan of the band, much like the musicians he recruited for this video.
Ronson captioned the video, in part, “Everything that made me want to be a record producer came from being in the studio watching Foreigner make records. I’m still completely in awe of the sound of those first five albums.”
