Credit: S. Schweiger

Credit: S. SchweigerLike nearly every other active music artist, Foreigner was forced to postpone its touring plans this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the veteran rockers have now lined up its first concerts of 2021.

The band is scheduled to play two shows, on March 23 and 24, at Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida, as part of the venue’s Frontyard Festival, which is being billed as the first socially distant music festival in the U.S.

The Frontyard Festival features performances at a specially built, three-acre outdoor theater that’s been designed to be mindful of COVID protocols. The venue will feature hundreds of elevated boxes positioned six feet apart from one another, allowing attendees to enjoy concert events while keeping a safe distance from each other.

Concert-goers also will be able to order food from on-site restaurants that will be delivered right to their boxes.

“We are so happy to be able to perform live again because we and our fans really miss the experience,” says Foreigner lead singer Kelly Hansen. “We saw how the team at Dr. Phillips Center cared about the health of their audiences and innovated socially-distant concerts, and that’s why we chose it as our first show for 2021. There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the country.”

Tickets for the shows are available now at DrPhillipsCenter.org.

In other news, Foreigner has been raising money for members of their road crew and their families, who have been hit hard financially because touring has been put on hold, by selling a variety of limited-edition merch items on the band’s website.

Among the items are T-shirts, face masks, and bundles that include CDs, water bottles, tote bags and more. Fans also can donate money directly to Foreigner’s crew at the website.

By Matt Friedlander
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