Foreigner announce farewell tour in bizarre fashion

Foreigner have announced their farewell tour, in quite a bizarre fashion.

Frontman Kelly Hansen broke the news during an appearance on Fox & Friends, where he performed a medley of Foreigner songs with the OneVoice choir from Briarcrest Christian School.

They had won a competition to sing with the band and Hansen revealed that there would be many more choirs appearing on the tour.

"We've been working with Grammy Foundation for 10 years to have choirs sing. On the farewell tour, we're going to do a new thing where up to five choirs are going to open for us at every show," he said.

"We really want to support the arts in schools. It's the first thing that's stopped when budgets go."

Watch: Kelly Hansen with a school choir on Fox & Friends

In a statement on the band’s decision to wind down, guitarist and founder member Mick Jones said: "Many years ago, I wrote a song called Feels Like The First Time and today we are launching one last worldwide tour.

"We will be presenting a show that I know will have the same enthusiasm as our very first appearances. The tour will start this summer in America and we hope to get to every place that we have played over the last several years.

"While I’m sure our fans will have mixed feelings about the end of the road for the band, I know our shows are going to delight audiences everywhere."

Hansen, who also starred in a tongue-in-cheek video announcing the farewell tour, told Fox & Friends there were a number of reasons behind the band’s decision.

Watch: Foreigner farewell tour announcement video

"It's mixed,” he said. “It's important for me personally that we're delivering these songs as they need to be, and it gets harder for me every year singing high tenor songs.

“I have a high standard, and that's really important. I would rather quit while we were doing it at our best. For the last 17 years, and it takes a little bit of a toll on you.

“When COVID came, I finally saw four seasons at my house for the first time. I look forward to spending time with my new wife and family, that's going to be great. I have a lot of other things that I'm passionate about in life."

No European dates have yet been announced.

Hansen said: “We can't do the whole world in one year, so we're going to do the U.S. next year and then the rest of the world in 2024."

Gallery: Whitesnake, Foreigner and Europe rock Cardiff, 2022

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