The Hits Unplugged benefit concert will take place this fall on Long Island
It feels like the first time that Foreigner will appear in a one-night-only benefit concert on Friday, September 5th, at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on the Long Island University Post campus in Brookville, New York. The concert will feature special acoustic renditions of the band’s biggest hits such as “Cold As Ice,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Hot Blooded,” and more in a rare and intimate unplugged format. A local high school choir from Uniondale High School will perform with the legendary band.
Foreigner: The Hits Unplugged will be hosted by original Foreigner lead singer Lou Gramm, who will also greet guests at an exclusive pre-show VIP cocktail reception. A limited number of premium tickets and invitations to the exclusive party, which includes a photo opportunity with Lou and the band, are available at TillesCenter.org/ForeignerBenefit.
This special concert celebrates Foreigner’s groundbreaking collaboration with Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Long Island University’s Post Theatre Company to develop and stage Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical. All proceeds from the evening will support the production and LIU and Tilles Center’s New Works Initiative. As a registered nonprofit, LIU’s fundraising efforts qualify for tax-deductible donations, subject to government guidelines.
Feels Like the First Time – The Foreigner Musical will be directed by Broadway icon Adam Pascal (Rent, Aida, Cabaret, Chicago, Something Rotten!), and the show will premiere in April 2026. Pascal will also perform with Foreigner at The Hits Unplugged concert and help make this evening a truly memorable event.
Foreigner’s fourth studio album, known as Foreigner 4, will be reissued in a Super Deluxe Edition format on September 12th via Rhino Records. Ahead of the album’s 45th anniversary in 2026, 4 will be reissued as a 5-CD/Blu-ray box set and a single vinyl edition with newly remastered audio.
In addition, the band, with guitarist and vocalist Luis Maldonado replacing long-time frontman Kelly Hansen on lead vocals, has reneged on their Farewell Tour plans and will continue touring without any original members. The band will headline the Foreigner 4 Deluxe Tour, featuring Gramm guesting on some of the songs he made famous 45 years ago. Hansen, whom we interviewed when the band announced its final tour in 2023, is stepping down after the summer run of dates.
