Foreigner rocks the St. Augustine Amphitheatre on Tuesday, March 12

Foreigner rocks the St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Touting 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, Foreigner is heading to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre to rock the audience on their farewell tour on Tuesday, March 12.

Hailed globally as one of the most iconic bands within the realm of rock ‘n roll, the original British American rock ensemble entered the arena in 1976. Also noted as one of the world’s best-selling bands of all times, stats show that their album sales exceed 80 million. Foreigner, with member changes, continues to perform in front of sold-out crowds now on their farewell tour.

Their 40-year history includes their No. 1 hit “I Want To Know What Love Is,” which ranked in the Top 25 of Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary’s Recurrent chart in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and is listed as one of Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs of All Time at No. 76 in 2004 and No. 479 in 2010.

Other fan favorites include "Juke Box Hero,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” “Head Games,” “Say You Will,” “Dirty White Boy” and “Long, Long Way From Home."

And while their chart-topping popularity and airplay is seemingly endless, Foreigner is ready to halt performing live forever.

Foreigner keyboardist Michael Bluestein described the farewell tour as bittersweet.

“I’ll miss the camaraderie and rocking out,” he said. “But with a baby on the way it’s time for a more ‘normal’ life. But we still have some time and I’m really looking forward to a summer of great shows.”

Bluestein, Foreigner’s keyboardist since 2008, added that with a crazy catalogue of songs and years of past touring, the memories are many.

“It’s been quite a ride,” he continued. “Looking back on these past 16 years, so much has happened. We’ve rocked out in front of adoring fans who know every single word to our songs. It really has gone by quickly and it’s been crazy great.”

Foreigner’s list of sold-out crowds includes New York’s Carnegie Hall; the Colorado Red Rocks; London’s Royal Albert Hall; and venues all over the United States and Canada.

Today, Foreigner includes singer Kelly Hansen, bassist Jeff Pilson, guitarists Bruce Watson and Luis Maldonado, drummer Chris Frazier and of course, Bluestein.

Bluestein himself is no stranger to talent. The Massachusetts native began playing Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin at age 8. He’s also a tour-de-force with soul music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Admitting that he progressed quickly, the keyboardist and vocalist humbly equates talent with drive and practice.

“I owe more of my success to working hard and practicing,” he said. “I have a reasonable level of talent, but I also zeroed in on and practiced through my weaknesses to get better.”

Bluestein’s list of performances prior to joining Foreigner include the 4 Non-Blondes; Boz Scaggs; Anastacia; Enrique Iglesias; Roger Hodgson; Burt Bacharach; and Stevie Nicks. And yet, despite the impressive list of talent he’s joined on stage, he attributes Foreigner’s catalogue of high energy songs as the reason behind the band’s success.

“These are timeless songs that are built to last,” he said. “A lot of work and determination went into creating the arrangements. They’re well-crafted and we know them well.”

And indeed, they are, with a numerous hits that blasted through the airwaves when Bluestein was just a lad.

“It’s amazing to be in a band that dominated the airwaves when I was a kid,” he said. “To be able to play classic songs like “Hot Blooded,” “Urgent,” and “Juke Box Hero” is pretty surreal.”

Within his reminiscence, Bluestein gave a nod to “mom,” who nurtured the young talent “whether she had the money to pay for the lessons or not.”

“I loved playing and I love learning the classic repertoire,” he continued. “And then of course I fell in love with jazz in college – I had a brief jazz snob phase – but for the most part, I’ve always been open to great music whether its jazz, rock pop or classical. There’s always something to explore and learn in every style and music genre.”

“I love music," he concluded. "I’m glad to be here. We’re all psyched for a great show."

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: The St. Augustine Amphitheater welcomes the iconic rock 'n roll band Foreigner on Tuesday March 12