Urgent! Urgent! Lou Gramm, former lead singer of the mega rock band Foreigner, is coming to town.
Gramm, 62, will perform Friday night at The Caboose for its annual block party on West Fulton Street.
“He is the biggest music talent to come to this area. Between him and Foreigner, they have sold over 80 million records,” said Eric Mack, owner of The Caboose.
Gramm will perform for 90 minutes with his five-member band, playing a mix of Top 40 songs he wrote with Foreigner, such as “Cold as Ice,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “I Want to Know What Love Is,” as well as songs from his self-titled Christian rock album.
Opening for Gramm is Skyler’s Dream Team, a local band that plays popular covers. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 on the day of the show.
Mack said the site can accommodate up to 2,500 people and that he is hoping for a sellout crowd.
“I have spoken to Gramm’s tour manager, and as far as everything goes, he is down to earth. He wants to put a good show on and wants it to work,” he said.
Gramm, a Rochester native, is noted for his strong voice and song-writing talents. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1997, which caused him to gain weight, but he has since recovered enough of his strength to tour with his new band.
Mack has held a block party at The Caboose every year since 2006, with the exception of last year, when he did not own the facility. He repurchased and reopened it last December.
For this year’s block party, Mack said he wanted to do something different.
“I wanted to step up and do something no other bar has done. I wanted to get a national act,” he said. “We have done everything. We put swimming pools up and filled the parking lot with sand and had a beach party.”
He contacted a booking agent in Utica and toyed with the idea of booking ZZ Top or George Thorogood, but they came with a high price.
“The booking agent hooked me up with Lou Gramm. Everyone will know his first song and his last song,” Mack said.
He is expecting a mix of ages in the crowd, as Foreigner saw its biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Mack called Gramm’s appearance in Gloversville a positive sign of progress for the area.
“It is something that has never been done. It is a step in helping the community,” he said. “We are working to make this place better.”
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