Let's rewind to early spring 2024, just before the much anticipated Lou Gramm and his All-Star Band concert was about to begin. They were in Gramm's hometown of Rochester, New York preparing to present the very first show of his 2024 tour. The faithful had journeyed from the comfort of their homes to share a communal experience with a few thousand other dedicated fans of one of rock's elite singers whose resume stretches back decades. As for the musicians accompanying Gramm, they've all put in a few years—well, actually decades—and are seasoned vets as well. Thousands will soon be listening and singing along as Gramm who was just hours away from performing many of his iconic hits. So how did Lou Gramm 'get there'? Let's go backstage, mingle with the musicians and crew and watch as they collectively prepare for the evening's show—thanks to our 'all access' credentials.
Lou Gramm had been performing since the 1970s and had some success with the band Black Sheep that formed in the mid-1970s. They even secured a recording deal with a major record label. But an auto accident on the way to a concert unceremoniously claimed almost all the band's gear. The guitars were mangled, drums were oval shaped instead of round and the much-anticipated tour they were supposed to share with Kiss came to an abrupt end. Black Sheep went into forced hibernation. Soon after, an unexpected audition with Brit music veteran Mick Jones resulted in lead singer Lou Gramm being recruited into a new, untested band that, at its inception, was half British and half American musicians. A recording contract with the prestigious and powerful Atlantic Records saw the newly christened Foreigner come out of the gate like a potent muscle car or hotrod (one of Gramm's 'off hour' passions) as they scored seemingly countless hits with memorable originals such as... well, you can certainly name most of them since they are repeatedly playing around the world on radio, streaming channels and more.
Gramm left Foreigner in the early 1990s, pursued a solo career, occasionally reunited with the band, returned to a solo career, retired a few times, and returned to performing... Got that? What matters is he's back on stage and there were over two dozen shows officially booked through the end of 2024. In addition, the official announcement that Foreigner—with Lou Gramm as THE lead singer—is finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / Class of 2024-now has an energized Gramm accepting some dates in 2025.
One of the first shows of Gramm's 2024 tour took place on Saturday March 9. The Rochester venue was the Kodak Center, a 1968 seat room which has been on the Kodak corporate campus for decades. Like Kodak Center, more and more venues across the country now have their own keyboards, drum sets, 'backline' equipment such as audio and light boards etc. So was the case at Kodak Center which means it's already a system that's custom designed for that specific venue. Groups such as Gramm's are what's called a 'fly band' since they rent much of the equipment vs. having one or more massive eighteen-wheeler trucks travel from town to town. And, unlike performing at a massive outdoor venue, there's no worries about convoluted traffic jams, rain, humidity or unpredictable weather-related challenges when you're indoors.
The vast, quiet stage, as expected, was bare that Saturday morning. With a six-man crew ready to go, load-in started around 10 AM, hours before any musicians showed up for the scheduled midafternoon sound check. The crew would strategically position microphone stands, weave cables throughout the venue, connect to monitors and the mixing board several hundred feet away at the back of the concert hall while audio and lighting mixing boards were tested and re-tested. As for where the musicians would eventually position themselves, the crew set up the keyboards stage right-toward the back, guitar stage right-toward the front, sound baffles were set up surrounding the drum set—positioned toward the back of centerstage, while the bassist and saxophonist were assigned stage left positions. Once the microphones were 'hot,' the familiar shouts of 'check one / two' were heard repeatedly and then, after about an hour or so, the musicians strolled on stage for a collective sound check.
Officially dubbed 'The Lou Gramm All Stars,' the band consisted of keyboardist RJ Spangler, John "Tbone" Paxton, Jeff Cuny, Jacob Schwandt (who had played with Billy Joel), Venezuelan born guitarist Alex Garcia (Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez), bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm,) saxophonist Scott Gilman (Jeff Goldblum and his band), and Lou's brother / drummer Ben Gramm, (Peter Frampton, Yoko Ono.) Each one sought out their designated area and got a feel for the stage and the venue. There were random bleats from the sax, numerous rapid runs up and down the frets of the guitar and bass, insistent percussive pounding from the drums and more. An urgent shout from one of the sound techs announced that '48 went into 31' implying that a bit of re-routing of cables was in order. An occasional feedback screech was heard. That's good! You want to hear that now, not when the lights go down and the show has started.
The last to arrive is Mr. Lou Gramm. An amazingly patient and centered music veteran, Gramm trusts his crew, his band members and his longtime Tour / Road Manager Bobby Golino. They've all done their part and are almost ready to 'tag team' over to Gramm. But there's still a bit more tweaking to do. Now standing side by side with Gramm at the center stage mark, Bobby shouts to the back sound board person “Lou is getting static in the headset." Again, this is when you want to work out final technical mixing, monitor and microphone questions, hours before the audience settles in. Simultaneously, the light tech is making his own adjustments at the back of the room. He explains that some shows are presented where the light tech has the discretion to intuitively custom design each show-or they can simply punch in the same pre-set list from city to city if the set list remains the same. Tonight, in front of a hometown crowd, it's more custom created than 'paint by numbers' which is traditionally this group's choice as they travel from city to city. Additionally, two sound techs continue to adjust and tweak as well.
After a few minutes of the band getting a feel for the room, Gramm steps up to the mic and it's as if he hit a secret 'ignition' switch. Everyone powers up and the audio thunderstorm begins with “Feels Like the First Time." Next up is a brief run through of “Blue Morning, Blue Day" and it's evident that, collectively, these guys have done this before. A polite request from Gramm for “a bit more snare drum and kick drum" helps tweak the sound even more. A few more requests and suggestions such as “can you mute the channel for a second" are made while several last-minute adjustments happen before they run through additional songs.
Satisfied, Gramm and his team exit to a comfortable Green Room and/or individual dressing rooms a few feet from the stage where a refrigerator is stocked with drinks and food. Gramm and other musicians create their own vibrant, multicolored fruit plates, select appetizers of their choice or grab a drink. Next, they gather in the backstage hall and, together, head back to the hotel so they can settle in for some quiet time. Since it's late afternoon, they'll all be back and ready to perform a few hours later. After a short delay, the opening act takes the stage and starts their sound check. Once back at the concert venue an hour or so before the show, Gramm and his band enthusiastically start an extensive 'meet and greet' with friends and family in the backstage hallways while a soon to be capacity crowd of fans begin to arrive. Some grab a water, wine or beer while others head to the merch table and secure a souvenir T-shirt. After the opening act concludes a roof raising set, it's time for the very first show of the Gramm 2024 tour to begin. The lights dim and, after a brief video, Gramm and his handpicked All-Star Band confidently take the stage. The hometown crowd roars a collective and passionate WELCOME. Lou Gramm grabs the mic, a wave of emotion cascades over the crowd and it's show time! The newest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / Class of 2024 is back where he belongs—on stage—but, as always, he's made room for a few thousand friends as well.
Lou Gramm had been performing since the 1970s and had some success with the band Black Sheep that formed in the mid-1970s. They even secured a recording deal with a major record label. But an auto accident on the way to a concert unceremoniously claimed almost all the band's gear. The guitars were mangled, drums were oval shaped instead of round and the much-anticipated tour they were supposed to share with Kiss came to an abrupt end. Black Sheep went into forced hibernation. Soon after, an unexpected audition with Brit music veteran Mick Jones resulted in lead singer Lou Gramm being recruited into a new, untested band that, at its inception, was half British and half American musicians. A recording contract with the prestigious and powerful Atlantic Records saw the newly christened Foreigner come out of the gate like a potent muscle car or hotrod (one of Gramm's 'off hour' passions) as they scored seemingly countless hits with memorable originals such as... well, you can certainly name most of them since they are repeatedly playing around the world on radio, streaming channels and more.
Gramm left Foreigner in the early 1990s, pursued a solo career, occasionally reunited with the band, returned to a solo career, retired a few times, and returned to performing... Got that? What matters is he's back on stage and there were over two dozen shows officially booked through the end of 2024. In addition, the official announcement that Foreigner—with Lou Gramm as THE lead singer—is finally being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / Class of 2024-now has an energized Gramm accepting some dates in 2025.
One of the first shows of Gramm's 2024 tour took place on Saturday March 9. The Rochester venue was the Kodak Center, a 1968 seat room which has been on the Kodak corporate campus for decades. Like Kodak Center, more and more venues across the country now have their own keyboards, drum sets, 'backline' equipment such as audio and light boards etc. So was the case at Kodak Center which means it's already a system that's custom designed for that specific venue. Groups such as Gramm's are what's called a 'fly band' since they rent much of the equipment vs. having one or more massive eighteen-wheeler trucks travel from town to town. And, unlike performing at a massive outdoor venue, there's no worries about convoluted traffic jams, rain, humidity or unpredictable weather-related challenges when you're indoors.
The vast, quiet stage, as expected, was bare that Saturday morning. With a six-man crew ready to go, load-in started around 10 AM, hours before any musicians showed up for the scheduled midafternoon sound check. The crew would strategically position microphone stands, weave cables throughout the venue, connect to monitors and the mixing board several hundred feet away at the back of the concert hall while audio and lighting mixing boards were tested and re-tested. As for where the musicians would eventually position themselves, the crew set up the keyboards stage right-toward the back, guitar stage right-toward the front, sound baffles were set up surrounding the drum set—positioned toward the back of centerstage, while the bassist and saxophonist were assigned stage left positions. Once the microphones were 'hot,' the familiar shouts of 'check one / two' were heard repeatedly and then, after about an hour or so, the musicians strolled on stage for a collective sound check.
Officially dubbed 'The Lou Gramm All Stars,' the band consisted of keyboardist RJ Spangler, John "Tbone" Paxton, Jeff Cuny, Jacob Schwandt (who had played with Billy Joel), Venezuelan born guitarist Alex Garcia (Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez), bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm,) saxophonist Scott Gilman (Jeff Goldblum and his band), and Lou's brother / drummer Ben Gramm, (Peter Frampton, Yoko Ono.) Each one sought out their designated area and got a feel for the stage and the venue. There were random bleats from the sax, numerous rapid runs up and down the frets of the guitar and bass, insistent percussive pounding from the drums and more. An urgent shout from one of the sound techs announced that '48 went into 31' implying that a bit of re-routing of cables was in order. An occasional feedback screech was heard. That's good! You want to hear that now, not when the lights go down and the show has started.
The last to arrive is Mr. Lou Gramm. An amazingly patient and centered music veteran, Gramm trusts his crew, his band members and his longtime Tour / Road Manager Bobby Golino. They've all done their part and are almost ready to 'tag team' over to Gramm. But there's still a bit more tweaking to do. Now standing side by side with Gramm at the center stage mark, Bobby shouts to the back sound board person “Lou is getting static in the headset." Again, this is when you want to work out final technical mixing, monitor and microphone questions, hours before the audience settles in. Simultaneously, the light tech is making his own adjustments at the back of the room. He explains that some shows are presented where the light tech has the discretion to intuitively custom design each show-or they can simply punch in the same pre-set list from city to city if the set list remains the same. Tonight, in front of a hometown crowd, it's more custom created than 'paint by numbers' which is traditionally this group's choice as they travel from city to city. Additionally, two sound techs continue to adjust and tweak as well.
After a few minutes of the band getting a feel for the room, Gramm steps up to the mic and it's as if he hit a secret 'ignition' switch. Everyone powers up and the audio thunderstorm begins with “Feels Like the First Time." Next up is a brief run through of “Blue Morning, Blue Day" and it's evident that, collectively, these guys have done this before. A polite request from Gramm for “a bit more snare drum and kick drum" helps tweak the sound even more. A few more requests and suggestions such as “can you mute the channel for a second" are made while several last-minute adjustments happen before they run through additional songs.
Satisfied, Gramm and his team exit to a comfortable Green Room and/or individual dressing rooms a few feet from the stage where a refrigerator is stocked with drinks and food. Gramm and other musicians create their own vibrant, multicolored fruit plates, select appetizers of their choice or grab a drink. Next, they gather in the backstage hall and, together, head back to the hotel so they can settle in for some quiet time. Since it's late afternoon, they'll all be back and ready to perform a few hours later. After a short delay, the opening act takes the stage and starts their sound check. Once back at the concert venue an hour or so before the show, Gramm and his band enthusiastically start an extensive 'meet and greet' with friends and family in the backstage hallways while a soon to be capacity crowd of fans begin to arrive. Some grab a water, wine or beer while others head to the merch table and secure a souvenir T-shirt. After the opening act concludes a roof raising set, it's time for the very first show of the Gramm 2024 tour to begin. The lights dim and, after a brief video, Gramm and his handpicked All-Star Band confidently take the stage. The hometown crowd roars a collective and passionate WELCOME. Lou Gramm grabs the mic, a wave of emotion cascades over the crowd and it's show time! The newest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame / Class of 2024 is back where he belongs—on stage—but, as always, he's made room for a few thousand friends as well.
