Lou Grammwho gained recognition in the band Foreigner, confessed that he will retire at the end of 2024. We won’t see him on stage again. “This is my last year… I’ve been doing this, gosh, for almost 50 years,” he says in an interview with Lee Richey.
The star admits that he wants to spend more time with his loved ones in the autumn of his life. “I’d like to focus on my family and my fast cars – just enjoy myself, knowing that when I go to bed at night, it’s in my own bed.” “That’s it. I put it off and put it off. I still like performing, but when you’ve been doing it for as long as I have, traveling is the worst. It really takes its toll. And that’s a sign that you’re getting old,” he tells the journalist.
Recall that Gramm first announced his retirement in 2018. He then argued that live performances stopped exciting him, which was a sign that he had already sung everything he had.
It looks like Lou Gramm will be leaving the stage as part of the tour “Parti Gras”, which will take place this summer. He will be accompanied on stage by, among others: Bret Michaels, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) and Don Felder (ex-Eagles).
At the same time, he announces his return to the stage only if Foreigner enters the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. Foreigner, as a classic rock band from the 1980s, is nominated there this year. “I heard that (if we are inducted) we will play a song or two,” he said in an interview. “And they told me I would sing,” he added.
Let us recall that the famous singer has been suffering all his life from the diagnosis he received over a quarter of a century ago. The artist learned that he had a brain tumor, which caused permanent problems with memory and patterning. “I started having severe headaches, worse than any I had in the past. I also complained about temporary memory loss. My long-term and short-term memory started to fail. I also had vision problems,” he said on 97.1 FM The Drive radio.
“I went for an MRI and was told it was an egg-sized tumor that had been there since birth and was still growing,” he commented. Although its tumor, i.e. craniopharyngioma, is a benign and rare brain tumor that occurs in 2 people out of 100,000. cases, initially none of the doctors wanted to perform surgery to remove the tumor due to its location.
When he found the right specialist, he underwent surgery. Due to the complexity of the procedure, he was asked not to perform and preferably not to burden himself unnecessarily in any way. Despite the recommendations, Lou Gramm went on tour due to an unfavorable contract with the organizers.
This is why complications arose – the pituitary gland was damaged, which significantly delayed the artist’s return to full health.
Gramm eventually took part in the concerts, but as he admitted, he didn’t remember anything about them. “I didn’t remember any of the words to the songs. I had to write down the first two or three lines of each verse and stick it on the stage. I move around a lot during the concert and I wanted to make sure I remembered everything,” he explained.
“I was on medication and my weight doubled within six months, and then after I stopped taking it, it dropped a bit. Unfortunately, not completely. I had to throw away the clothes I was wearing,” recalled Gramm, who never returned to his previous figure.
Foreigner is a pop-rock group, popular mainly in the 1980s, which has sold over 80 million records worldwide. The first five albums from 1977-84 achieved multi-platinum status, reaching at least number five in America.
A band founded by a guitarist Mick Jones (ex-Spooky Tooth), multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald (ex-King Crimson) and vocalist Lou Gramm in 1976, he made his debut with a publishing house a year later “Foreigner”.
Foreigner’s biggest hits include: “Juke Box Hero”, “Cold As Ice”, “Waiting For A Girl Like You”, “Feels Like The First Time” and “I Want To Know What Love Is”.
Lou Gramm was in the band from 1977 to 2005. He replaced him in the squad Kelly Hansen. The last member of the original Foreigner lineup is Mick Jones, who continues his career under this banner despite poor health. This didn’t really please the previous frontman.
“Mick’s choice to continue after there were no original members except him is his option. I don’t really understand it… I know his health, he’s had his ups and downs. And I don’t understand how they can tour without the original members. members and still call themselves Foreigner for all these years. I think it’s none of my business and maybe it’s a business decision for them, but it just doesn’t feel right to me,” Gramm said.