NEPA Scene Staff

Rock icons Foreigner play ‘Greatest Hits’ at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Oct. 22

Rock icons Foreigner play ‘Greatest Hits’ at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Oct. 22
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From a press release:

Responsible for some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most enduring anthems, including “Juke Box Hero,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Hot Blooded,” “Cold as Ice,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” and the worldwide No. 1 hit “I Want to Know What Love Is,” Foreigner still rocks the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard Top 200 album success.

The iconic band is taking those songs on the road again with “The Greatest Hits of Foreigner on Tour,” which comes to the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Friday, Oct. 22.

Doors at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) open at 6 p.m., and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, which are $39.50, $49.50, $69.50, $89.50, $149.50, and $278.00 (VIP), plus applicable fees, go on sale next Friday, June 18 at 10 a.m.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, tickets are only available online at kirbycenter.org, ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins on Thursday, June 17 at 10 a.m. Members can call 570-826-1100 to purchase tickets. VIP packages are available at foreigneronline.com.

With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million. Streams of their hits are approaching 10 million per week.

With more Top 10 songs than Journey and as many as Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner also features strongly in every category in Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time” listing. At times, the band’s weekly catalog sales have eclipsed those of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Def Leppard, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and most of their classic rock peers, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Their catalog sales were recently celebrated in Business Insider as hitting the Top 40 among the best-selling music artists of all time.

Founded in 1976, Foreigner’s self-titled debut album produced the hits “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice,” and “Long, Long Way from Home.” The album “Double Vision” followed, as did a string of hits, including “Urgent,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” Those songs helped give their next album, “4,” its impressive run at No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

At the zenith of ’80s sound, their fifth album, “Agent Provocateur,” gave the world the incredible No. 1 global hit “I Want To Know What Love Is.” This musical milestone followed the record-breaking song “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”

Foreigner’s founder is Songwriters Hall of Fame member Mick Jones, a visionary maestro whose stylistic songwriting, indelible guitar hooks, and multi-layered talents continue to escalate the band’s influence and guide them to new horizons.

Jones reformed the band after a 2002 hiatus and selected lead singer Kelly Hansen to help write an inspired new chapter in the history of Foreigner. One of rock’s greatest showmen, Hansen is among the most respected, consummate professionals in rock and roll. With a 40-year career that spans almost every area of music, from the role of lead vocalist to producing and engineering, he has led Foreigner into the digital age while inspiring a whole new generation of fans.

The lineup also includes noted Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein on keyboards, guitarist Bruce Watson, Chris Frazier on drums, and guitarist Luis Carlos Maldonado. An unprecedented new level of energy led the group to a reemergence of astounding music that speaks to Foreigner’s enduring popularity.