Image by: Foreigner

While nearly every other advertisement, movie, or song today at least subtly references the 1980s, some of those relics are still fighting for relevance. Foreigner, the band famous for hits such as “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” and “I Want to Know What Love is,” is coming to Wheatland’s Sleep Train Amphitheatre on Friday, Oct. 14.

Foreigner has been touring continuously for six years now. Despite lineup changes, and writing and recording music for thirty-five years, the band is continuing to move forward.

Foreigner is currently promoting its latest album, “Feels Like the First Time,” a triple-disc set that contains one CD of acoustic versions of hits, one CD of re-recorded studio versions of the hits, and a live DVD of the band playing in Chicago. The album was released Sep. 13 and debuted on the Billboard Top 200 charts at #43.

Current lead singer Kelly Hansen, 50, explained that the idea of recording acoustic versions of the band’s older songs evolved out of interest from their fans.

“The idea for the acoustic versions of the songs came out of some shows we did in Germany. We got a phenomenal response in Germany, so we booked a couple of acoustic concerts in Canada. We got a great response there, too. It made us realize that we should memorialize this effort on CD,” Hansen said.

While three discs might seem like quite a bit of material, Hansen explained that the reasoning behind this came down to a combination of the Internet and today’s economics.

“In the current realm of music business, it is hard to sell CDs because people can just go on the Internet and download music,” Hansen said. “We wanted to give people something that’s more worth it.”

Foreigner has had 31 different members since 1976. Hansen is the fourth lead singer in the group’s history. Founding member and guitarist Mick Jones is the only current member who has played with Foreigner since the band’s inception. Jones is also the stepfather of celebrity DJs Samantha and Mark Ronson. Both have collaborated with Foreigner in the past.

While an older audience may more easily identify with Foreigner’s 50-60 year-old band members, for the potentially skeptical younger generation, Hansen claims that the band may offer an audience something that they couldn’t have 35 years ago.

“What you lose in pure raw energy, you gain in experience and an understanding of how to do it better. I know how to make my moves have meaning, and that’s what live theater is about.”

Although Hansen said he has enjoyed dining in downtown Sacramento in the past, this time around he is going to spend his time in the area recharging for the final dates of the tour.

“I’ll probably just relax and take it easy that night,” he said.

The Oct. 14 Wheatland show is one of the last of the Eclipse Tour that features Foreigner, Night Ranger, and Journey.

The show will begin at 7p.m. Ticket prices range from $30.00 to $165.00.

For more information, visit the Foreigner website.