Foreigner, Jefferson Starship – The AO Arena, Manchester: Live Review

By Mike Ainscoe on 22nd June 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

Foreigner, Jefferson Starship – The AO Arena, Manchester – 18th June 2026

BAND, BRAND OR SONGS

A pair of touring bands that could well fit into the ATB regular – and soon to be published – musings on the theme of ‘band or brand’. It’s complicated; both bands having a lengthy history with the comings and goings worthy of a soap opera. Wiki even has it’s own separate page for listing Jefferson Starship members. Feels like a topic which has been on open forums for long enough, so leave it at that.

Billed a the Foreigner 50th Anniversary tour,, Jefferson Starship also mark a half century ( and further considering their Airplane origins). Back in the Foreigner were feted by the greats – Page & Plant appeared on stage with them in Munich in ’82 for Lucille – one for the trivia buffs – and Jason Bonham sat a spell on the drum stool, although talking ‘original members’ (ie, none) both bands have evolved over fifty years to the extent JS can probably boast closer connections. Anyway, the point is, or should be, that the bottom line is about the music, so without further ado, we head into an evening of AOR heaven.

JEFFERSON STARSHIP

“It’s been a long, long road,” sings Cathy Richardson as her opening gambit with JS easing into Find Your Way Back from 1981’s Modern Times. Modern Times indeed although a record that’s a remarkable 45 years old. Once again, we’re celebrating longevity and marveling at these modern musicians who seem to defy the laws of aging and on the verge of invincibility.

Jefferson vet David Freiberg will be 88 next birthday. Donny Baldwin has served several decades and Chris Smith’s tenure goes back to pre-2000. And up front, sharing the MC duties with Freiberg, with Grace Slick long gone, Cathy Richardson is a genuine vocal powerhouse. Heading all the way back to Airplane days, she delivers White Rabbit not so with a hypnotic Slick menace but a genuine roof raising authority.

With the ’50’ label looming large, the intro video gives a timeline snapshot that lands in 2026, yet when Freiberg asks “anyone remember the seventies?” (he’s joshed about the era and not the age of the audience) and later “the eighties” we’re set for a time tunnel trip through the ages of the Jeffersons – Airplane and Starship – and then just Starship. The twelve song set across their hour slot pulls no punches. He pays tribute to Marty Balin with a couple of songs from the mid Seventies and lest we should forget there are the mega hits that are part and parcel of a certain time when soft focus videos and songs as essential parts of film soundtracks were de rigeur.

DON’T YOU REMEMBER?

Who can forget building cities (on Rock and Roll) or dreams and how many couples at tonight’s show might have had these on the wedding disco playlist? Nice interaction with the Freiberg/Richardson duetting work leaving instrumental duties to a more than capable trio. And how many will have indulged in a little air guitar as Jane, with Cathy doing sterling work on more cowbell, strikes up the riff that launched a thousand xbox guitar heroes?

The well planned set ends as Richardson relates a story from the Freiberg anecdote archives that climaxes with an encounter with Janis Joplin and tripping with the Grateful Dead to Egypt. And then it’s Somebody To Love as we complete the circle. A set that might well have left many well happy with their night out right now.

FOREIGNER

Foreigner earn their headline status with what could class as more recognisable songs. By now we’re getting used to the video timeline that works as part of the intro – a reminder of the road the band has traveled to reach Manchester 2026.

Again, we also find ourselves coming full circle and a the mantra / reminder that it’s about the songs, especially as Foreigner 2026 is a completely different line up that’s evolved over the years. Newest recruit John Roth is also a name and face in the AOR world so a shoe in who will be intimately familiar with the set. Another fresh face is singer and band member in charge of audience rabble rousing, Luis Maldonado has slowly eased into the role to take the reins from Lou Gramm.

He’s particularly effusive in reminding (a possibly sluggish, or still catching a breath after the Jeffersons) that this is a Rock and Roll show and it takes Jeff Pilsen’s keyboard wheeled upfront to bash out the familiar intro to Cold As Ice to riase the temperature and maybe see one or two off their seats to stretch the legs. “Very polite – maybe anticipating the next moments” as he takes a break from (carefully rehearsed – it could be lethal) mic stand twirling. A chance to for the singers in the line up to spotlight some lush bvs and harmonies in the main refrain.

SIGNATURE BALLADS

Jeff stays put for Waiting For A Girl Like You- one of those seriously angsty Foreigner signature ballads – justifying the two keyboard necessity as the rabble rousing finally has Manchester on its collective feet for That Was Yesterday. Surely the inspiration for Cutting Crew’s Died In Your Arms? We’re told/warned that John won’t play the song unless we all stand up so comply and immediately shift the atmosphere upwards. The pace maintained, the highlight of the set comes with the reminder of the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and they celebrate with a fearsome Feels Like The First Time.

Aside from when Foreigner turn in to Free for Hot Blooded in the encore, this is Foreigner full of beef and heft and genuinely exciting. Almost as if it’s too much, the mood comes down for Luis and Bruce Watson (not to be possibly confused with Big Country Scot of the same name)to duet on Bridge Over Troubled Water which sees a nice keyboard texture drift in for the “sail on silver bird” part. There’s even a keytar as Michael Bluestein steps up into the spotlight.

SOLO TIME

Both Bluestein and drummer Chris Frazier get getting their longer standing membership of the Foreigner family recognised by solo spots. Now, how long since you saw a drum solo? A rare thing these days (remember – it’s about the songs…) and to be sure, we all know and appreciate how underrated drummers are and how even the simplest of drum beats can prove fatal for mere mortals – so we really don;t need reminding. We love drummers – just not that much. The momentum shifts into protracted band intros and the set ends. The Americans would say”period.”

The huge goosebump inducing ballad where we open up to ask what love is, comes and goes and while the sturm und drang of Hot Blooded sees the evening end with gusto, the second wind has come and gone and a third ain’t arriving. With the World Cup going on across the pond, in football terms, half time came too soon.