Legendary ’80s rock band Foreigner will headline the main concert at the 50th Grand Prix of Long Beach this April, race organizers announced today.
With hits like “I Want To Know What Love Is” and “Cold As Ice,” Foreigner will be in the midst of a farewell tour that also stops in Agoura Hills later this month and at Yaamava’ Resort and Casino in Riverside County in June.
“Their music has defined generations, and their performance will bring an electrifying energy to our Saturday night festivities,” said Jim Michaelian, president and CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. “It’s the perfect way to celebrate our fifty years of racing here in Long Beach.”
The band was formed one year after the first Long Beach Grand Prix, which took place in 1975.
The Grand Prix features a variety of races and attractions over three days (April 11-13), culminating with the 11-turn, 85-lap NTT IndyCar Series race on Sunday.
Saturday’s concert, scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on April 12, will take place on the Long Beach Performing Arts Center’s outdoor stage. All ticket holders for Saturday’s racing events get free admission to the concert.
General admission tickets for Saturday can be purchased here, with prices starting at $101 for a single-day Saturday ticket or $143 for three-day general admission.
Foreigner, the “Hot Blooded” hitmakers, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year.
Two of the band’s founding members, Ed Gagliardi and Ian McDonald, died in 2014 and 2022, respectively. Mick Jones, founder and lead guitarist, has not toured with the band since 2023 and revealed in February last year that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Jones co-wrote most of Foreigner’s hits with singer and songwriter Lou Gramm, who departed the group in 1990.
Current lead vocalist Kelly Hansen has been with the band since 2005.
Foreigner has played the Indy 500 twice and made multiple NASCAR performances across the country.
Last year’s concert featured country artists Gretchen Wilson, David Lee Murphy and Eddie Montgomery.
Past concerts have featured the Goo Goo Dolls, Ozomatli, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, El Tri, Gin Blossoms, Moderatto, Pennywise and many more.
This year’s race will be the first under Penske Entertainment, which purchased the race series from longtime owner Gerald R. Forsythe last November.
For the 50th anniversary, organizers will include a first-ever Historic Formula Exhibition, which pits cars from three eras of open-wheel racing — Formula 5000, Formula 1 and IndyCar — against one another.
In December, Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr. were named co-Grand Marshals for this year’s events.
Drivers expected to race this year include past Long Beach winners Josef Newgarden (2022), Colton Herta (2021) and Will Power (2008, 2012), defending race winner Scott Dixon, defending series champion Alex Palou and 2024 rookie of the year Linus Lundqvist, among others.
Supporting races include SUPER trucks, two-night drifting challenges and an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, which will feature hybrid prototypes from Acura, BMW, Cadillac and Porsche.
Last year’s race weekend drew a record 194,000 people.