Foreigner and Rigby High School Choir Rock the House
David Pace
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Rock band Foreigner brought the house down tonight at the Mountain America Center.
“I work with an amazing band with an incredible legacy –16 Top 30 songs. So our setlist is like, you know, a greatest hits package,” said Foreigner Musical Director and Bassist Jeff Pilson. “So it’s a great situation, and we love playing live. We love coming here.”
The group has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.
Vocalist Luis Maldanado, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboarder Michael Bluestein, guitarist Bruce Watson and drummer Chris Frazier showed off some of the most famous numbers in rock and roll – including “Cold as Ice,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Hot Blooded.”
In the second-to-last number, Rigby High School’s choir took to the stage, joining Foreigner to perform their biggest hit single – “I Want to Know What Love Is.”
“It’s way fun. It’s a honestly a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Rigby High School Choirs Vice President Isabella Corbett. “It’s very fun to be singing with a band this big.”
Pilson said Foreigner loves working with local high school choirs in their performances.
“We like to give money to the schools for their music programs, because first thing that gets cut in budget cuts is the music program,” Pilson said. “I myself went to public school. My music education there was very important to me, and I probably wouldn’t be doing what I do without the orchestra conductor that I had for several years.”
Foreigner donated $500 to Rigby’s Choir program and encouraged the singers to pursue their dreams!
“This is really big for our choir because lately we’ve been losing a lot of funding for the program,” said Isaac Corbett, Rigby High School Chambers Choir president. “This will really pick us back up.”
The band that brought “Waiting for a Girl Like You” to the masses says the next generation of world-famous musicians will likely start out playing and learning music at a public school music program.
“Big advocate for public school music education,” Pilson said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re here. The other reason, of course, we want to do a great rock show and have a lot of fun with everybody.”
The Rigby High School Choir and Foreigner hit the stage Wednesday at the Mountain America Center.