Foreigner kicked off their 40th Anniversary Tour in Syracuse at the Lakeview Amphitheatre with a little help from Cheap Trick, Jason Bonham's Led Zepplin Experience and Phoenix Chamber Choir.

We like the fact that many national acts bring local school choirs on stage to sing with them. Berry Manilow brought The Rome Free Academy Acappella Choir Group, Fermata Nowhere, to perform 3 songs, and Foreigner included Phoenix Chamber Choir with their biggest hit single  "I Want To Know What Love Is."

As you can see in the video, the John C. Birdlebough High School Chamber Singers did a great job as back up singers for Mick Jones and Kelly Hanses. That's pretty impressive for the seniors, juniors and sophomores from Phoenix. The students, some who know of Foreigner and Cheap Trick and some who didn't, got into the show for free.

"I Want To Know What Love Is" was written in 1984 at 3 am by Mick Jones. He tells TeamRock.com  "I don’t know where it came from. I consider it a gift that was sent through me. I think there was something bigger than me behind it. I’d say it was probably written entirely by a higher force.” Jones wanted this to be a spiritual song and considered bringing in Aretha Franklin but in the end, New Jersey Mass Choir got the gig. The song was released at the end of 1984 and went #1 worldwide.

Foreigner's 40th-anniversary tour with Cheap Trick and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience Stops next few stops include:

July 14th: Bethel Woods 

July 18th: Saratoga Performing Arts Center

July 21st: Darien Lake


Bonus Video:

[information from TeamRock.com and Syracuse.com]

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