Foreigner celebrate their landmark ‘Double Vision’ album with a historic onstage reunion bringing original members together with the current band for the first time
by Paul Cashmere
Rock history has been revisited with the release of newly surfaced footage from Foreigner’s landmark reunion concert, captured in the film Double Vision: Then And Now. The performance documents a singular moment in the band’s long career, when original members reunited with the contemporary lineup to mark 40 years since the release of their defining 1978 album Double Vision.
Filmed at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan in 2017, the concert stands as the first time both eras of Foreigner shared the stage. Founder Mick Jones was joined by original vocalist Lou Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood, drummer Dennis Elliott, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and bassist Rick Wills, alongside the current touring lineup featuring Kelly Hansen, Tom Gimbel, Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein, Bruce Watson and Chris Frazier.
For a band that has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide and delivered 16 Top 30 hits, the significance of this reunion extends beyond nostalgia. It reconnects the core creative forces behind Foreigner’s early catalogue with the musicians who have sustained the band’s global presence into the 21st century.
Foreigner’s origins trace back to 1977, when British guitarist Mick Jones assembled a transatlantic lineup that reflected the band’s name, half British, half American. The debut album Foreigner introduced the group with immediate impact, driven by hits such as Feels Like The First Time and Cold As Ice. A year later, Double Vision consolidated that success, delivering an even stronger commercial performance with songs like Hot Blooded and the title track becoming staples of rock radio.
The 2017 concert revisits that catalogue with scale and precision. Shot in 4K Ultra HD across more than two dozen camera positions, the production integrates elaborate visual design elements including CGI animation, laser effects and immersive staging. The approach reflects the ambition behind the project, to present these songs in a contemporary live environment while preserving their original impact.
Mick Jones described the experience as deeply personal, noting the rare opportunity to share the stage with the musicians who established Foreigner’s identity. That sentiment is echoed throughout the performance, particularly in moments where original members take centre stage on songs that defined their era.
Among the standout sequences is Feels Like The First Time, performed by the original lineup for the first time in more than three decades. The performance reconnects directly to the band’s beginnings, with Lou Gramm’s vocal presence underscoring the enduring strength of the material.
Juke Box Hero is presented with an expanded visual treatment, incorporating animated elements and lighting effects that enhance the song’s narrative arc. Meanwhile, Starrider is reimagined through digital animation, extending the track’s original science fiction themes into a modern visual context.
One of the most striking moments arrives with I Want To Know What Love Is, delivered as a full gospel arrangement featuring the Albert Strickland & Cho’Zen Choir. The performance brings both generations of the band together, creating a layered interpretation that reflects the song’s evolution since its original release in the mid-1980s.
The concert concludes with Hot Blooded, staged as a full ensemble finale with all members onstage. It is a fitting closing statement, reinforcing the continuity between Foreigner’s past and present.
The reunion also carries a sense of historical closure. Ian McDonald, a founding member of King Crimson and a key contributor to Foreigner’s early sound, passed away in 2022. Bassist Ed Gagliardi, who played on the first two albums before departing in 1979, died in 2014. Their contributions remain integral to the band’s legacy, and the reunion performance serves as a document of that shared history.
Released in 2019 through earMUSIC across multiple formats including CD, DVD, Blu-ray and vinyl, Double Vision: Then And Now offers both a live album and a concert film. It provides a comprehensive record of a moment that had not occurred in the band’s four-decade history prior to this event.
ALBUM TRACK LIST
Cold As Ice
Head Games
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Headknocker
The Flame Still Burns
Urgent
Juke Box Hero
Feels Like The First Time
Double Vision
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Long, Long Way From Home
Dirty White Boy
I Want To Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded
DVD & BLU-RAY TRACK LIST
Cold As Ice
Head Games
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Headknocker
Say You Will
Urgent
Starrider
Juke Box Hero
Feels Like The First Time
Double Vision
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Long, Long Way From Home
Dirty White Boy
I Want To Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded
Bonus:
The Flame Still Burns
Fool For You Anyway
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