Norman High choir to perform with Foreigner on Oct. 6

Sep. 20—A select group from Norman High School's choir will have the chance to perform on stage alongside Foreigner at Riverwind Casino on Friday, Oct. 6.

The choir was invited to the classic rock band's farewell tour, which will end at some point in 2024.

In an interview with The Transcript, Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson, who has been a member of the band since 2004, said Foreigner has invited high school choirs on stage for over a decade.

"Initially it was our manager's idea, Phil Carson, who happens to be a legend in this business," said Pilson. "The idea was that we wanted to help out public schools."

Pilson said the program means a lot to him because he started his musical journey as a student in a public school.

"You know, the first thing that happens when there's budget problems is they cut the music program," he said.

Stephania Abell, NHS choir director, said the band does this as part of VH1's "Save the Music" program.

"Foreigner does this on the road. Whenever they are in a town they try to find a high school to come sing with them," she said. "They donate to the school's choir program when they can find a group to sing with."

She said Norman last performed with the band in 2019, as well as in 2017.

Since 1977, Foreigner has landed 16 Top 30 hits, including "Juke Box Hero," "Hot Blooded," "Waiting for a Girl Like You," "Feels Like the First Time," "Cold as Ice" and "Double Vision."

The band may be best known for its top hit, "I Want to Know What Love Is," which it will perform with Norman's choir.

"Foreigner will start the song, and then in the middle we will sneak onto the stage. On the second chorus we sing until the band decides to end the song," Abell said.

Pilson said giving back to students helps to ensure the next generation has access to music education.

"We sell CDs and do what we can to raise money for their schools and for their music programs," Pilson said. "It's been a tremendous success, and I'm so proud to be part of it."

He said the program introduces kids to classic rock music, and that it isn't uncommon for students to be unfamiliar with the name of the band, but know the lyrics of the band's songs.

"A lot of people know the songs much more than they know the band's name," he said. "The songs, in some ways, are more famous than the band."

Abell asked her students if they were familiar with the band.

"I showed them a video of a high school in Colorado performing with the band, and I said 'So guys, we've been asked to do this,' and my group of girls just screamed bloody murder, so they were excited about it," Abell said.

She said the choir took a hit during COVID.

"The choir was kind of small there for a couple of years, so I'm glad to see kids are back in school in person and kids are excited about choir," Abell said. "This is going to really be a good start to the year."

After its farewell tour, the band plans to retire in 2024. Pilson said his time with Foreigner has been a dream come true, and it is being punctuated by sold out crowds around the world.

The Oct. 6 concert at Riverwind Casino is among concerts where tickets are no longer available from the box office.

"It's been absolutely fabulous," Pilson said. "This tour has really exceeded all my expectations, and we sold more tickets than I expected. It was a tremendous success. We were just thrilled with the response."

"I love this band. I love the songs. I love the personnel. I love management. I love our crew. I mean, we are in a really good situation, and there's not a minute that goes by where I'm not aware of that and grateful for it," he said.

Brian King covers education and politics for The Transcript. Reach him at bking@normantranscript.com.