CLEVELAND, Ohio - One issue you're always going to have with shall we say "veteran'' bands is that the lineups change. People die, get tired, bored or just plain ticked. It happens.
That's true with Mick Jones' Foreigner, which began in 1976 and has 24 entries in its "former members'' tally.
Another issue, though, is that a band like Foreigner, which is at the Hard Rock Rocksino on Sunday, April 30, has to have had some success still to be around at all. And that means the newbies have to be comfortable with the "old stuff.''
For bassist and background vocalist Jeff Pilson, who joined the group just before Foreigner celebrated its 30th anniversary, that's not a problem at all.
"I loved the band,'' said Pilson, calling from his home studio in Southern California, near Los Angeles. "Honestly, when they first offered the job, I was doing a lot of production work with other bands, so it was just going to be a weekend's work.
"That of course soon dissipated,'' said Pilson, who became an official part of the lineup in 2004.
The transition was an easy one for Pilson, who also spent time with Dokken and Dio - bands with a decidedly heavier bent that Foreigner.
"Everybody in the band is a fan,'' he said. "We do it every night, and I think we're keeping true to the legacy, paying our respects.''
Songs like "Juke Box Hero,'' "Feels Like the First Time,'' "I Wanna Know What Love Is,'' "Cold As Ice and "Double Vision'' have become part of the American rock 'n' roll lexicon, and to Pilson and his band mates, it's important to give the songs and the band's leader the homage they deserve.
"We keep the sound because we all really respect and admire Mick Jones,'' said Pilson. "We have a focus right there: He's our leader.
"We all respect him ad we all like the legacy, and you're less inclined to mess with a legacy,'' he said.
The challenge, though, is to avoid becoming a glorified cover band, even with Jones at the helm.
"We're in a unique position,'' Pilson conceded, "but it's not as difficult as you might expect. The thing that keeps us going is the audiences.''
Those audiences are growing, not shrinking, too. Maybe not in size, but certainly in diversity.
"We're seeing everything from grandkids to grandparents,'' said Pilson. "We do see a lot of new kids because things like 'American Idol,' 'The Voice' and 'Glee' have done Foreigner songs.''
Some day, those iconic songs will see Foreigner in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Pilson said.
"I don't think it's a big deal to Mick - it was more of a big deal for him to enter the Songwriters Hall of Fame,'' Pilson said. "My suspicion is it'll happen eventually, but I don't know how long it will take.
"Foreigner was an influential band and important enough to be in [but] critics never liked Foreigner,'' he said. "It takes audience feedback and it takes time.''
History, he said, is on the band's side, as evidenced by the fan push that eventually made it just about impossible for the Rock Hall to keep out Yes and Cheap Trick, two other bands that were not big with critics but were with fans.
"Musically, what you call rock 'n' roll is hard to define,'' said Pilson. "I put it more about the attitude.
"That's where some of the hip-hop acts'' - which he said rightfully have been included in the Rock Hall - "have been important in maintaining that rebellious attitude,'' Pilson said.
"That's probably why critics don't respond to a band like Foreigner,'' he said. "We say what we say our own way.''
No matter who the current "we'' is.
Foreigner
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30
Where: Hard Rock Rocksino. 10777 Northfield Road, Northfield.
Tickets: $57.50 to $89.50, plus fees, at the box office, online at ticketmaster.com and by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
