Foreigner will officially mark its 50th anniversary in 2026, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees will be celebrating the milestone on September 6 with a just-announced special concert at historic Ellis Island in New York Harbor. The show will be filmed on a closed set for a major documentary expected to be released in 2026.
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Attendance for the intimate concert will be limited to 250 fans. Foreigner will be joined by original frontman Lou Gramm and some surprise guests during the show. The band will be performing such classic tunes as “Hot Blooded,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Cold as Ice,” “Urgent,” “Feels Like the First Time,” and the chart-topping power ballad “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
The concert will feature the Statue of Liberty as a stunning backdrop. From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island served as the gateway for millions of immigrants to enter the U.S. Since 1965, the island has been part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
Ten pairs of tickets for the concert will be given away via Instagram and Facebook. You can enter by going to Foreigner’s Instagram and/or Facebook page and liking the post about the concert, tagging a friend you want to bring to the show, then following the Instagram pages of the band and Vertigo Live Productions.
No purchase is necessary to enter the contest. Entrants must be at least 18 years old. The winners will be picked at random on Friday, August 29. Tickets winners also will receive free ferry transport to and from Ellis Island for the event.
Meanwhile, a limited number of premium tickets and VIP experience passes are on sale now at Foreigner.Vertigo.live.
About Another Special Upcoming Foreigner Concert
The day before the Ellis Island show, Foreigner will play a special acoustic gig at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on Long Island University’s Post campus in Brookville, New York. The show is part of a fundraising event for an upcoming Foreigner-themed stage musical that will premiere at Tilles Center in April 2026.
The production, titled Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical, will be directed by and feature veteran Broadway performer Adam Pascal. Pascal’s previous acting credits include Rent, Aida, Chicago, and more.
The benefit show, dubbed “Foreigner: The Hits Unplugged,” will be hosted by Gramm. Gramm and Pascal also will take part in the concert. Foreigner will be joined by a choir from Uniondale High School in nearby Uniondale, New York, during the show.
Meanwhile, Lou also will be on hand to greet attendees at an exclusive VIP cocktail reception before the concert. A limited number of premium tickets offering admission to the pre-show gathering are being sold at TillesCenter.org.
Foreigner’s Upcoming Tour Plans and Other News
As previously reported, Foreigner has dozens of concerts scheduled in the U.S. and Canada through March 2026. Gramm is slated to join the group as a special guest at select concerts.
Longtime Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen, who replaced Gramm as the band’s lead singer in 2005, will be retiring from the group in October 2025. Singer/guitarist Luis Maldonado, who joined Foreigner in 2021, will take over as Foreigner’s new lead singer.
Foreigner’s itinerary currently is mapped through a five-date Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre in March 2026. The shows, which will celebrate Foreigner’s 50th anniversary, will feature the band performing with an orchestra.
In other news, Foreigner will release an expanded version of its chart-topping 1981 album 4 on September 12. The deluxe reissue will be available as a four-CD/one-Blu-ray collection featuring the new mixes of the original album, as well as five previously unreleased songs, 14 early and alternate versions of various tunes, 15 instrumentals, and 15 live performances recorded in various locations in 1981 and ’82. The package also will feature a booklet boasting more than 60 exclusive photos. You can pre-order the reissue now.
In celebration of the deluxe 4 reissue’s release, Foreigner has scheduled a series of eight special concerts in December. Gramm will join the group’s current lineup during the run to sing a few songs at each concert.
The shows are mapped out from a December 3-4 stand in Port Chester, New York, through a December 13 performance in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
(Photo by Krishta Abruzzini)
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