The Rock Hall Was Cold As Ice to Foreigner
“Somehow, I couldn’t sing a rock song at the Rock Hall of Fame when I’m being inducted? It doesn’t make any sense to me, and it sticks in my craw.”
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Damn, the Rock Hall really was willing to sacrifice their love. Lou Gramm, the golden-voiced lead vocalist and co-founder of Foreigner, claims the organization screwed the band over during its induction segment at this year’s ceremony. Speaking with SiriusXM, Gramm lamented that Foreigner’s request to have its original members perform a medley of greatest hits was ignored — instead, younger artists Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato, as well as friend of the group Sammy Hagar, were chosen to perform on their behalf. “The thing for me is, I’m first and foremost a rock singer and it’s the Rock Hall of Fame,” Gramm explained. “Somehow, I couldn’t sing a rock song at the Rock Hall of Fame when I’m being inducted? It doesn’t make any sense to me, and it sticks in my craw.” Gramm, who still actively tours, was relegated to duetting with Clarkson for a portion of “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
Days before the induction ceremony, drummer Dennis Elliott angrily declared he wouldn’t be in attendance owing to a “totally unacceptable” schedule from the Rock Hall. From the original Foreigner lineup, only Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood, and bassist Rick Wills made the trek to Cleveland to be lauded. (Mick Jones was a no-show due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.) Gramm says he tried to get Elliott to change his mind prior to the induction since he was unaware until “the afternoon of the show” that they wouldn’t be performing. “I didn’t know sooner,” Gramm explained. “When I found out that’s why he didn’t come, I even got more angrier, but not at him. It was almost like there was a fast one being played.” The Rock Hall insisted that “time restraints” kept it from giving Foreigner a meaningful amount of time. “We found out last minute that it was the ‘new Foreigner’ who was gonna be playing,” Gramm added, “and Rick and Al would be standing there singing background vocals.” Still, the singer remains unsure if he would’ve stayed home had he known the extent of the Rock Hall’s jukebox villainy in advance.
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