Every year the festival brings some acts that cause us to shake our heads. Actually, our heads spin a lot—similar to that of Linda Blair in “The Exorcist”—when reviewing the schedule. But this time it’s not at the fact that the festival booked the classic rock band Foreigner. No—God knows, we love us some Foreigner (we are, after all, hot blooded and really want to know what love is). But Foreigner with only one original member who is not lead singer Lou Gramm is simply That Guy From Foreigner With a Cover Band—even if “That Guy” is Mick Jones, the band’s principal songwriter (and really, does that even matter?).
Even scarier is the prospect of a Mick Jones-less Foreigner. Jones underwent open-heart surgery in late February, forcing him to miss dates on the band’s current tour. Which makes us wonder: What does one call Foreigner with only one or no original members? We settled on “Foreign-er.” Here’s wishing Jones a full recovery. Perhaps he will use that time to reconnect with Gramm. Meanwhile, we’ll check out Foghat, also at Riverbend this year. Oh, wait—only original drummer Roger Earl survives from that trio (and he’s been ill, too). Hmm. But what the hell, after a few beers it doesn’t much matter, does it?