Foreigner’s current lineup (Bill Bernstein)Foreigner has launched a search for the fan who supposedly inspired guitarist Mick Jones and singer Lou Gramm to write the band’s 1982 hit “Juke Box Hero,” which now serves as the title track to the new musical featuring many of the group’s classic songs.
In a 2009 interview with SongFacts.com, Jones said the tune was written about a fan who’d waited outside in the rain as Foreigner prepared for one of its concerts, possibly in Cincinnati, and who Mick invited backstage.
“I thought, well, he’s waiting like five hours here, maybe we’ll take him in and give him a glimpse of what happens backstage at a show,” Jones recalled. “And this kid was just mesmerized with everything. I saw this look in his eyes, and I thought, he’s seeing this for the first time, he’s having this experience. And I just imagined what was going through his mind.”
If you’re the fan who Jones is seeking, or if you think you might know him, you can share your story or tips at JukeboxHeroMusical.com. Foreigner will choose on person who submits a video or story to the website to attend the official opening of Jukebox Hero The Musical with the band on February 20 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto. You have until February 14 to submit your entry.
As previously reported, the musical tells the fictional story of a music star named Ryan Perry who grew up in an economically depressed town called Blaydon, Pennsylvania, which he rarely has visited since leaving to find fame and fortune. Perry’s father and girlfriend convince him to return to Blaydon to stage a benefit concert to help the town’s financially struggling residents, but in doing so, the singer must confront ghosts from his past.
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