Foreigner Bids Mankato Farewell at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center

September 30, 2024 Robert Chadwick Concert Reviews Comments Off

JESS BECK | Go Venue Magazine I don’t often drive this far for a show these days, but when you hear that powerhouses Lita Ford and Foreigner are playing together, you get your ass in the car and make the drive, ok? And Saturday, September 28th 2024, I drove myself all the way down to the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center (which from here on out will be referred to as ‘Mayo’ because that’s a lot to type) and witnessed the rock legends themselves put on a kick ass show that will undoubtedly be the talk of Mankato for at least a while for those that attended. For those not familiar with the venue, as I was not, this venue also doubles (as I’m finding out many venues do) as a hockey ring. My first experience with this was up in Duluth, MN at Amsoil Arena when I covered Dropkick Murphys, but I guess this is just something that happens up North, and I’m gonna roll with it! The lighting was spectacular, the sound was incredible, and the performance was amazing. Lita Ford confidently took the stage to shouts from the audience, who were undoubtedly excited to see the legend perform from her catalogue. She certainly dominated the stage, dressed in this amazing white leather jumpsuit complete with tassels, and she completely held the audience captive. I wished they would’ve kept the original start time of 7pm, because I feel like there might have been more people in their seats to see her, but she put on a great set nonetheless. She dug deep into her storied history and broke out gems like “Gotta Let Go,” “The Bitch is Back,” and of course, “Kiss Me Deadly,” to round out the evening. Lita can still get down though, and she made sure to play side by side with her bandmates, as well as graced us with several solo moments as the waived and smiled at the crowd. Since this was only a two band bill, Foreigner was up next, and these dudes put on one hell of a show! They need to do side beside performances with REO Speedwagon to see who puts on a better show for musicians in that age bracket, because both acts still play like they’re only in their early 20s yet. Veteran vocalist Kelly Hansen rushed on stage and eagerly began belting out “Double Vision” as though he was singing it for the first time. One of the best-selling bands of all time, they might be the first band I’ve caught this year that didn’t have any original members on stage. Yes, Mick Jones is still the leader of the band, but the majority of his work these days is behind the stage for health reasons. But this iteration of the group has been together for at least a decade, and they all have that rock grit that Foreigner fans love to see. Special shout out to the Mankato High School Choir for getting to do “I Want to Know what Love Is” with Foreigner at the end of the show! I hope that the moment you had there is something you will keep with you for a long time! Foreigner also played such hits as “Head Games,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Juke Box Hero.” If you’ve got time to catch Foreigner on their Farewell Tour, I’d recommend doing it as soon as you can! Special shout out to the Shriner’s organization for collecting donations to help families in need. As a former Shriner’s Kid myself, it’s nice to see that the group is in good hands. As always, keep being excellent to each other, keep wearing deodorant, and we’ll see ya at the next show!