Foreigner ft. Lou Gramm Live at The Rainbow '78 Cold As Ice, Double Vision, Feels Like First Time

Featuring the classic Foreigner line-up of Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Ian McDonald, Al Greenwood, Ed Gagliardi, and Dennis Elliott, this show captures the essence of a group who would go on to become one of the best-selling bands of all time.

On April 27, 1978, after Foreigner's self-titled debut album had spent a year in the US Top 20, rock’s conquering heroes played a sold-out show at London’s legendary music venue, the Rainbow Theatre. The band’s legion of fans was treated to a magnificent display of musicianship and performance, including local hit singles, 'Cold As Ice', 'Double Vision', and 'Feels Like The First Time'.

Forty years on, this definitive performance by the original band has been restored from the original film reels, remixed, and remastered for this release.

Foreigner recently received their first nomination for induction in the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and they've been working overtime to prove they're worthy of induction. The rockers recently received a campaign endorsement from a friend in a high place: Paul McCartney.

The former Beatle made a short, NSFW video in which he expressed his incredulity over Foreigner's Hall of Fame exclusion. "Foreigner not in the Hall of Fame? What the f*ck?" McCartney asks before chirping at the camera. Foreigner shared the video on X (formerly Twitter).

Complete setlist:
DVD-1 Long, Long Way From Home
DVD-2 I Need You
DVD-3 Woman Oh Woman
DVD-4 Hot Blooded
DVD-5 The Damage Is Done
DVD-6 Cold As Ice
DVD-7 Starrider
DVD-8 Double Vision
DVD-9 Feels Like The First Time
DVD-10 Fool For You Anyway
DVD-11 At War With The World
DVD-12 Headknocker

Best Classic Bands article: Foreigner has been in the news a lot lately. After decades of eligibility, the classic rock band was finally nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. The announcement of this year’s inductees will be made in May. The joy of their nomination was brief, however. Not long after, the band’s primary architect, Mick Jones, revealed that he is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Today (March 13), news arrived that the singer of all of the band’s hits, Lou Gramm, is finally retiring from performing after this year. In a video interview, Gramm said, “This is gonna be it. I’ve been putting it off and putting it off. And I still enjoy performing, but when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have — the travel is the worst. It really takes its toll. And that’s a sign that you’re getting old.”

In the March 8, 2024 interview, transcribed by Blabbermouth.net, Gramm said, “I’ve been doing it — Jeez — for almost 50 years, and I would like to turn my attention to my family and my muscle cars and just enjoy myself knowing that when I lay down at night, it’ll be in my own bed.”

This isn’t the first time that Gramm, who turns 74 on May 2, has said he’s done. He told the audience for his Dec. 29, 2018, concert in Schenectady, NY, that they would be witnessing his farewell solo performance. He said to the crowd, “You’ve got to be smart enough to know when to walk away from it and I feel it’s that time for me.”

“It’s been a ball; I love you guys very much,” Gramm told the Schenectady crowd.

Foreigner was one of the biggest bands to emerge in the late ’70s as their 1977 debut effort for Atlantic Records yielded the future classic rock hits “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold As Ice.”

As the years followed, so did the radio-friendly singles “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision” and “Urgent.” Those were followed by their two highest-charting hits “Waiting For a Girl Like You” (#2) and “I Want to Know What Love Is” (#1).

Gramm initially left Foreigner in 1990 and returned occasionally. In 2017, Jones announced that Gramm and fellow former members Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood would appear on select dates of the band’s 40th anniversary tour.

The first such appearance was July 20, 2017, when fans finally got their wish as the trio joined the current band members for three songs at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY.

Thanks to all those hits, Foreigner has sold a reported 50 million albums.

Gramm has several performances scheduled dates in 2024. He’s part of a brief tour this summer called Parti-Gras with Bret Michaels, Don Felder, Dee Snider and others.