Lou Gramm - vocals; Mick Jones - guitar, vocals; Dennis Elliott - drums; Rick Willis - bass; Ian McDonald - keyboards, sax, flute; Al Greenwood - keyboards
This show came three years after Foreigner would have its initial success with songs like "Long Long Way From Home," "Feels Like The First Time," and "Cold As Ice." The band had become one of the biggest international rock acts, and at a time when disco had taken over the music industry, was proving that there still was a massive market for a great rock 'n' roll band with memorable songs.
After multi-platinum success with their debut LP and its sophomore follow up, Double Vision, the band returned in 1979 with Head Games. That album, and subsequent tour, put the band in huge arenas, including the Omni in Atlanta, where they played to over 16,000 for this show. But while the band appeared healthy and strong, behind the scenes, the center was beginning to crumble. As the band became more successful, Mick Jones pushed for even more control over the songwriting and production. By the time this tour had ended, the band would be divided into two camps.
But the critics and the fans would never know it from the way they performed. In addition to the aforementioned hits from the first LP, the band gives a killer performance that includes "Blue Morning, Blue Day," "Double Vision," "Hot Blooded," and from the new LP: "Rev on the Red Line," "Head Games" and the current single at the time, "Dirty White Boy."
Foreigner was a band assembled by studio guitarist and label A&R man, Mick Jones, after he received favorable response to a demo tape of new material he had sent to various NY labels. Jones had been a member of the prog-rock outfit Spooky Tooth, and he played in the Leslie West Band, which came after Mountain disbanded. After working as an A&R Exec for manager Bud Prager's indie label, Jones felt the urge to return to writing, recording, and performing. A new band called Trigger was built in 1976 around him, and soon included former King Crimson founding member and keyboardist/ saxophonist Ian McDonald and ex-Ian Hunter drummer Dennis Elliott.
Americans Ed Gagliardi on bass and Al Greenwood on keyboards were then added for an international mix. It took months to find a vocalist, until Jones remembered the lead singer for a band called Black Sheep that had opened for Spooky Tooth on a U.S. tour. His name was Lou Grammatico, but after he was convinced to join this new dynamic group (now re-named Foreigner), he would become Lou Gramm.
This would be the last tour and album for the original Foreigner line up. Internal fighting and Jones' desire to maintain control over the band would cause it to dissolve and regroup with just Jones, Gramm and Elliott. Bassist Rick Wills (who had been in the ill-fated Small Faces reunion) would be brought on as bassist and the other members (keyboard players and a saxophonist) would be hired as needed for tours. The revised Foreigner, now a four-piece, would emerge in 1981 with the band's greatest album, Four.