KELLY HANSEN Says Emotional Goodbye To FOREIGNER At His Final Show With The Band
Written by megarock on October 12, 2025
Almost five months after Kelly Hansen announced he was stepping down as lead singer of FOREIGNER, he performed his final two shows with the band this past Friday (October 10) and Saturday (October 11) at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
During FOREIGNER‘s performance on the May 20 season finale of NBC singing competition “The Voice”, Hansen announced his departure with a “passing of the torch” to the band’s guitarist Luis Maldonado.
Jeff Pilson, bassist and musical director for FOREIGNER, addressed Hansen’s exit during last night’s concert in Atlantic City, telling the crowd before a performance of the classic FOREIGNER song “I Want To Know What Love Is” (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “You just saw, we are very ready for the future but very excited about the future. But before we do, before we get there, let’s acknowledge tonight. This is a big night for us, and in many ways it’s very special for me personally because I’ve been with this guy for 20 years. And usually I talk about what an amazing singer he is, ’cause he is. I talk about what an incredible performer he is, because he really, really, I think, is one of the finest performers in rock. But what I’d like to talk about right now briefly is about what a great human being he is.”
