Foreign founder Mick Jones' continued absence from the band's live shows from 2022 has been widely noticed and commented on by fans. Now he reveals it is Parkinson's disease that has sidelined him from being on stage with the group, who are in the middle of a farewell tour.
“Fans will be well aware that I haven't been on stage with the band for quite some time now. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. I want everyone to know that I'm doing well,” Jones said in a statement released Wednesday (Feb. 21). “However, I've always liked to be at my best when I'm on stage, and unfortunately, at the moment, I'm finding that a bit difficult. I'm still very involved behind the scenes with Foreigner and staying present. Parkinson's is a daily struggle. The important thing is to persevere and remind myself of the wonderful career I've had in music. Thank you to all the fans who have supported Foreigner over the years and continue to attend our concerts — I want you to know that I appreciate your support. it always means so much to me, but especially at this point in my life.”
English-born Jones, 79, formed Foreigner in 1976 in New York, shortly after playing in the Leslie West Band. He assembled a group of British and American musicians, including Ian McDonald of King Crimson fame and Lou Gramm of the band Black Sheep, and succeeded with a self-titled debut in 1977, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200, certified five times platinum and released the enduring hits “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice”. Foreigner went on to release eight more studio albums and sell more than 80 million records worldwide, spawning additional hits such as “Hot Blooded”, “Urgent”, “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want to Know What Love Is” (the last a Billboard Hot 100 topper).
Earlier this month the band received their first nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After the first week of fan voting, Foreigner came third, behind Ozzy Osbourne and Peter Frampton, with over 100,000 votes.
During the last few years of his tour with the band Jones would take in a few songs each night, a bit like a special guest at the shows. Foreigner is currently led by bassist Jeff Pilson, who has been with the band since 2004, and frontman Kelly Hansen, who joined the following year.
In a previous interview, Advertising sign asked Jones – who had heart surgery in 2012 and played only a few songs a night with the band in the late 2010s – about the prospect of Foreigner continuing without him on board. “It's tough,” he said, adding, “I look at it as a team. If you think about it… any kind of sports team, they change players all the time. The thought of my music continuing in this way appeals to me.”
Pilson, meanwhile, said Advertising sign last year that Jones still makes “the final call” on everything to do with the band — including checking off the farewell tour that kicked off last summer. “I would say it was hard for him because (Foreigner) is his baby,” the bassist noted. “This is his lifetime achievement. It's difficult, but I know he supports the decision.” The tour is expected to wrap up in North America this summer. Dates have been announced through August 28, including a summer run with Styx and John Waite. However, band manager Phil Carson says some international dates could take the tour through 2025.
There may also be some new Foreigner music in the near future — the band's first since 2009 I can't be late Below album, except for “The Flame Still Burns” from the 2017 collection 40. “It's very much in the realm of possibility,” Pilson said last year. “We have a few pieces floating around unfinished, and they're unfinished for a reason. we still don't know what to do. But they're good songs, so at some point I really hope they come out.”
Hansen added that Jones writes with longtime collaborator Marty Fredericksen. “There are a bunch of things in different stages of completion,” he said. “We have things going back a long time, so I think this might be something that's going to happen.”
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/foreigner-mick-jones-parkinsons-disease-1235611033/