Foreigner / OR, USA 08.31.1996 Soundboard Edition

The prestigious label “Krw_co,” which has been releasing previously unknown soundboard recordings one after another, has released its latest unearthing project: a recording of the reunited FOREIGNER. This recording captures the “Salem concert on August 31, 1996,” in stereo soundboard format. The mid-90s was a turbulent turning point for FOREIGNER, marked by the serious event of Lou Gramm’s brain tumor diagnosis. What was the position of this recording within that context? Let’s start by exploring the overview of their activities at the time. 1995: Mark Schulman/Scott Gilman leave → Tom Gimbel/Ron Wixo join – February 24: West Hollywood performance – March 8 – April 4: Europe (20 performances) – April 22 – May 15: Oceania/Japan (9 performances) – May 19 – September 3: North America #1 (36 performances) 1996: July 3 – September 2: North America #2 (43 performances) ←★HERE★ – December 7 – 29: North America #3 (3 performances) 1997: January 24: Philadelphia performance – June 21: Maryland Heights performance [Lou Gramm undergoes surgery for craniopharyngioma] [Ron Wixo leaves → Brian Tichy joins] This was the last major tour where Lou Gramm truly shone, and it was FOREIGNER from 1995 to 1997. In 1995, Lou Rodgers embarked on a world tour as the world demanded, and his final performance in Japan also took place. In 1996, they conducted another large-scale tour, “North America #2,” albeit in limited regions. This recording of the Salem performance is the 42nd and final show of that tour. It was also the last full-scale tour where Lou Rodgers truly shone before his brain tumor was discovered. This recording, unearthed from that show, is a never-before-heard soundboard recording. This recording was released by the prestigious label “Krw_co.” Like the simultaneously released “PAUL RODGERS – LINCOLN CITY 2014 SOUNDBOARD,” it is the latest in their ongoing soundboard discovery series. The sound is a raw, unfiltered soundboard recording directly connected to the mixing console. While it feels tightly put together, it’s an unprocessed, unedited live performance poured into your brain, as if it were not intended for playback on home audio systems. The excitement of the venue is merely a distant ripple, and there’s no real sense of being at a concert, but the sheer pleasure of having the instrumental sounds and vocals fill your skull is a sensation you can’t experience with official live albums or broadcast recordings. The greatest hits are captured in ultra-realistic soundboard quality. This ultra-direct sound captures a concentrated collection of their glorious hit songs. Speaking of live performances from their reunion era, there’s also the official video “LIVE AT DEER CREEK,” but this collection is similar yet different. Let’s compare and organize them here. 。 English: Six-member era (8 songs) – Glorious Departure: Long, Long Way From Home / Cold As Ice / Feels Like The First Time – Double Vision: Double Vision / Hot Blooded – Head Games: Head Games / Dirty White Boy (★) / Women (★) Four-member era (4 songs) – 4: Waiting For A Girl Like You / Urgent / Juke Box Hero – Provocateur: I Want To Know What Love Is *Note: Songs marked with “★” were not included in the official ‘LIVE AT DEER CREEK’. …and so on. “Dirty White Boy” and “Women” were not included in the official ‘LIVE AT DEER CREEK’. From the early “Long, Long Way From Home” to “I Want To Know What Love Is”, this is a concentrated 75 minutes that condenses the most delicious period of their glorious career. From the prestigious “Krw_co” new discovery series comes this first-ever soundboard recording capturing Lou Gramm’s final, full-fledged tour, showcasing his true potential. Experience the exhilarating feeling of having his golden greatest hits poured into your brain with raw sound directly from the mixing console, a performance so fulfilling that you could never have imagined the tragedy that was looming. L.B. Day Amphitheater, Salem, OR, USA 31st August 1996 (75:21) 1 Intro 2 Long Long Way From Home 3 Double Vision 4 Head Games 5 Cold as Ice 6 Waiting for a Girl Like You 7 Feels Like the First Time 8 Urgent 9 Juke Box Hero 10 Dirty White Boy 11 I Want to Know What Love Is 12 Women 13 Hot Blooded 14 Thank You Goodnight Mick Jones guitar keyboard, backing vocals Lou Gramm vocals percussion Bruce Turgon bass backing vocals Jeff Jacobs keyboards backing vocals Thom Gimbel guitar woodwinds saxophone backing vocals Ron Wikso drums STEREO SOUNDBOARD RECORDING