There has to be a question as to whether Foreigner now really exist or whether they are a tribute band. Okay, so original guitarist Mick Jones is officially still part of the band, but he does not play live anymore, or write or record with the band. He is there as their talisman. As a band, they certainly retain the energy of the old Foreigner, and this was in abundance at OVO Arena Wembley.
Foreigner
OVO Arena Wembley – 19 June 2026
Words: Adrian Stonley
Photography: Robert Sutton
New Vocalist Luis Maldonado is a dynamo on stage, but you get the feeling that he has read a book on being a rock ‘n’ roll frontman and is working his way through every single stage cliché. For me, the jury is out, so it was going to be interesting to see how the show would unfold.
For me, this was a concert of two parts. They certainly hit the stage with intent. The first 50 minutes, they produced a set that was pure, unadulterated good time Foreigner, playing hit after hit. You wanted it, you got it.
Opening the set with two classic title tracks, Double Vision and Head Games it was clear that they were not here to make up any numbers.
A second keyboard is rolled out to the front of the stage, and the familiar notes and strains of Cold As Ice follow, with intense audience participation.
They then slowed matters down with the first of the big ballads, from Foreigner 4, Waiting For A Girl Like You. Unsurprisingly, the phone lights went on, and the Arena became a sea of waving arms.
Announcing that there would be some surprises in the set tonight, they threw in Blue Morning, Blue Day followed by That Was Yesterday. Although they had played both songs the previous show in Manchester, so perhaps not so much of a surprise.
Next up came their classic Feels Like The First Time and at this point, they could do no wrong. Everyone was in awe, and this was turning into perhaps one of the best Foreigner performances that I had seen.
But then they decided to play a cover version of Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, and that is where the set turned. Do not get me wrong, it is a great song, but it is not a Foreigner song, and Luis Maldonado’s voice does not have the range or tone for it.
Yes, it was stripped back and made simple, but unfortunately, it did not work. Following on from the head-down rock ‘n’ roll of Feels Like The First Time, it took the excitement out of the arena.
Urgent brought some of that feeling back, and was made interesting with the saxophone parts being played on a Keytar, but then we went into nearly fifteen minutes of keyboard and drum solos.
Congratulations, you lost the audience entirely. Time for a few beers, and the bars started to get busy again.
Juke Box Hero should have reinstated the feel-good factor, but this was also drawn out with sing-alongs and band introductions, and the dynamism and zest of the song were again lost.
What is so frustrating is that Foreigner have so many great songs that could have been fitted into this time. This could have been one of the great shows. There was no Dirty White Boy, Rev On The Red Line, I’ll Get Even With You, or Nightlife. Personally, it just seemed to be a missed opportunity.
To a certain extent, they pulled it back with the encore with Long, Long Way From Home, before a choir is brought on stage to provide the backing for the second of the mega ballads, I Want To Know What Love Is.
The show finished with the long-time favourite Hot Blooded, but by then, many were leaving early, possibly trying to mitigate train problems and cancellations, as well as the 80,000 departing Harry Styles fans from the stadium next door, all heading for Wembley Park tube station.
It was a night of what could have been. Foreigner showed they still have what it takes, and though it is recognised that the musicians need to take breaks, the drawn-out way in which this occurred rather down-turned the evening. Perhaps they will have a rethink.
