The List: Foreigner and Air Supply bring their greatest to River Cree this weekend

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In case you’re wondering, the band Foreigner got its name because its original founders were a mix of Brits and Americans — so dubbed by last-standing member, guitarist and master songwriter Mick Jones.

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Kelly Hansen, meanwhile, has been a Foreigner’s singer for the past 17 years or so after Lou Gramm left for good, and the band’s bass player Jeff Pilson was not only in Dokken, but also voiced Johnny Cage is the 2011 video game Mortal Combat.

I’ve seen Foreigner with the modern lineup, and they do a terrific job of taking us back to the rock and roller-rink era with mega hits Cold As Ice, Feels Like the First Time, Hot Blooded (a fever of 103 F is 39 C, PS) and the wavy-groovy Double Vision. They didn’t slow down in the early ’80s, adding Urgent, Waiting for a Girl Like You and the rather KISS-like Juke Box Hero — the near-identical Jukebox Hero is the name of a musical about the band — to the greatest hits setlist.

Sitting right in between George Michael and Meat Loaf at 80 million records sold, Foreigner’s two nights at River Cree Thursday and Friday have been rescheduled no less than three times, but this one looks to be solid gold to match those multi-platinum record sales.

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The band’s last new album, Can’t Slow Down, came out in 2009.

Tickets start at $96 for the 8 pm thursday shows$112 for 9 p.m. Fridayfind both at ticketmaster.ca.

While we’re here on the retro ocean, Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock of Australian-English soft rock snuggle band Air Supply met each other on the first day of rehearsal for an Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1975 and became fast friends to this day.

Making Love Out of Nothing At All, Lost in Love and All Out of Love are among their most familiar hits (they certainly love love!), and tickets for this 9 pm Saturday show at River Cree (300 East Lapotac Blvd.) start at $67at ticketmaster.ca.

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ART

3/18-20: Sculptors’ Association of Alberta (Enjoy Center St. Albert)

Thru 3/18: Matthew LaPierre’s The Idiot Box; Eszter Rosta’s fifty-nine events (FAB Gallery)

3/19: GLOW (CO*LAB)

Thru 3/19: Julya Hajnoczky’s Refugium (Art Gallery of St. Albert)

Thru 3/19: Liz Ingram and Bernd Hildebrandt’s Touching Gravitas (SNAP)

Thru 3/19: Steve Driscoll’s Stuck in that Moment Forever (Peter Robertson)

3/26: Mile Zero’s blur (DC3 Art Projects)

Thru 4/3: 5 Artists 1 Love (AGA)

7/4-23: David Cantine (Peter Robertson)

Thru 4/9: Gathering fiber arts show (Nina Haggerty)

4/30-5/1: Images in Nature wildlife carving (Whitecroft Hall, Sherwood Park)

Thru 5/29: Bryan Samson, Maud Lewis (AGA)

Thru 7/9: Craft and Science (Alberta Craft Council)

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COMEDY

3/17-20: Rell Battle (Comic Strip)

3/18-19: Celeste Lampa (Yuk Yuk’s)

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3/21-23: YouCan Comedy Night (Comic Strip)

3/25-26: Shawn Gramiak (Yuk Yuk’s)

3/26: Don Burnstick (River Cree)

4/1-2: John Beuhler (Yuk Yuk’s)

4/21-22: Jim Jefferies – The Moist Tour (Jubilee)

4/29: Taylor Tomlinson (Jubilee)

9/5: John Cleese (Winspear)

5/19: Comedy Night in Canada ft. Rick Mercer (Jubilee)

5/19: The Debators (Winspear)

6/10: Howie Mandel (River Cree)

6/10: Miranda Sings (Arden)

6/17: Brent Butt (Arden)

6/18: Trevor Noah (Rogers)

6/27: Russell Peters (Rogers)

8/2: Celeste Barber (Jubilee)

10/23: Tracy Morgan (River Cree)

11/11: The Price is Right Live (River Cree)

EXHIBITIONS

Through 4/22: James Cameron—Challenging the Deep (Telus World of Science)

4/29-5/1: jurassic quest (Expo Centre)

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FESTIVALS

3/18-19: Dead Ends Live (various)

3/27-4/9: winterruption (various)

6/17-19: North Country Fair (Driftpile, AB)

7/28-31: Big Valley Jamboree w/ Tim McGraw (Camrose, AB)

8/4-7: Edmonton Folk Music Festival w/ Buffy Sainte-Marie, the War on Drugs (Gallagher Park)

8/19-21: Edmonton Blues Festival (Hawrelak Park)

8/19-21: Together Again w/ Paul Brandt, Burton Cummings (Edmonton Exhibition Lands)

MUSIC

3/17: Blue Moon Marquee (Station)

3/17-18: foreigner (River Cree)

3/17: The Real Mckenzies (Starlite)

3/18: The Congregation (Station)

3/18: Said the Whale (Starlite)

3/19: airsupply (River Cree)

3/19: Defunk, Megan Hamilton: (Starlite)

3/19: Trevor Howlett, Cory Danyluk (Station)

3/19: Molly Johnson (Arden)

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3/19: Threefold, Hollow Point (Aviary)

3/23: The Darkness (Union Hall)

3/23: Steven Page (Festival Place)

3/23: St. Arnaud, Wyatt C. Louis (Starlite)

3/24: Bobby Tenderloin (Starlite)

3/25: Herman’s Hermits (CANCELED)

3/25: Misfortune Tellers (Aviary)

3/25: The Velveteins, Aladean Kheroufi (Starlite)

3/26: Suzie Underleider (Northern Lights Folk Club)

3/29: Ann Vriend (Station)

3/31: Clutch (Midway)

3/31: Lonesome Ace Stringband (Arden)

3/31: Michael Kaeshammer (Festival Place)

4/1: Celeigh Cardinal (Arden)

4/2: Homeshake (Starlite)

4/6: Glenn Miller Orchestra (Winspear)

4/7: Irish Mythen (Arden)

4/8: Wares, Sunglaciers (Aviary)

4/10: Lea Salonga (River Cree)

4/10-11: Sarah Harmer (Starlite)

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4/12: Alice Cooper (Jubliee)

12/4: Steve Dawson (Festival Place)

4/13: Imagine Dragons (Rogers)

4/13: Herb Alpert and Lani Hall (Festival Place)

4/13: Plants and Animals (Starlite)

4/14: John Hewitt (Station)

4/15: Slipknot (Rogers)

4/15: TUNIC (Aviary)

4/16: Pegboard Nerds (Union Hall)

4/17: Rise Against, Pennywise (Edmonton Convention Centre)

4/18: Caribou (Union Hall)

4/19: Peach Pit (Midway)

4/20: Needtobreathe (Jubilee)

4/20: Pavlo (Arden)

4/22: Frazey Ford, Mariel Buckley (Station)

4/22: Front 242 (Starlite)

4/22: Royal Canoe, Zoon! (aviary)

4/23: Beast in Black, Striker (Starlite)

4/24: Roy Forbes (Northern Lights Folk Club)

4/25: Hawksley Workman (Arden Theatre)

4/27: Royal Blood (Expo Centre)

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4/29: Cancer Bats, Comeback Kid, Misery Signals (Starlite)

4/29: Rodney Atkins (River Cree)

4/30: Valdy (Northern Lights Folk Club)

4/30: ZZ Top (River Cree)

5/2: Mother Mother (Jubilee)

5/2: Dan Managan (Winspear)

5/4: Home Free (Jubilee)

5/5-7: Corb Lund (Starlite)

5/5: Chris Webby (Union Hall)

5/5: George Thorogood and the Destroyers (River Cree)

5/5: Josh Ramsay (Shoctor Theatre)

5/5: Opeth, Mastodon (Expo Centre)

5/7: aprilwine (River Cree)

5/7: Martyn Joseph (Northern Lights Folk Club)

5/7: KALEO (Expo Center)

5/7: Rage Against the Machine w/ Run the Jewels (POSTPONED)

5/7: Shakey Graves (Winspear)

9/5: James Taylor with Jackson Browne (Rogers)

9/5: Chris deBurgh (Jubilee)

5/11: Chris Stapleton (Rogers)

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5/14: Marcus King (Midway)

5/19: Avril Lavigne, Grandson (Rogers)

5/27: Matthew Good (Starlite)

5/30: Dallas Smith (Bonnet’s, Grande Prairie)

6/4: Shad (Starlite)

8/6: Purity Ring, Dawn Richard (Union Hall)

6/10: Primus (Expo Centre)

6/11: Jann Arden (River Cree)

11/6: Charlotte Day Wilson (Midway)

6/16: The Crystal Method (Starlite)

6/17: Dayglo Abortions, Citizen Rage (Starlite)

6/24: Kat Danser & The Tall Tales (Arden)

7/4: Weird Al Yankovic (Winspear)

7/5: Shawn Mendes (Rogers)

7/28: Alanis Morissette, Garbage (Rogers)

8/7: The Lumineers (Rogers)

8/24: Hanson (Midway)

8/24: Modest Mouse (Edmonton Convention Centre)

8/27: Greta Van Fleet (Rogers)

9/4: Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Joan Jett (Commonwealth)

2/1-4/3: Nashville Outlaws (Mayfield)

2/4-4/3: Pretty Woman (Spotlight Cabaret)

2/26-3/20: Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Citadel)

9-3-27: Cottagers and Indians (Varscona)

3/19-25: Edmonton Opera’s Così fan tutte (Jubilee)

3/19-4/10: Jane Eyre (Citadel)

3/31-4/2: Alberta Ballet’s PHI featuring the music of David Bowie (Jubilee)

4/7-8: Shumka on Tour (Jubliee)

2/4-24: The Herd (Citadel)

4/21-5/7: Two-Headed/Half-Hearted (ATB Arts Barns)

4/23-24: Shen Yun (Jubilee)

4/27-5/15: Bloomsday (Varscona)

5/3: Charles Ross’ One Man Star Wars (Arden)

5/6: ABBA Mania (River Cree)

5/12-17: Alberta Ballet’s Cinderella (Jubilee)

5/14: The Clairvoyants (River Cree)

5/25: Henry Rollins (Shoctor Theater)

6/3: Horizons: A 21st Century Space Odyssey w/ Brian Cox (Jubilee)

6/4: The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute (River Cree)

6/21-7/10: Hamilton (Jubilee)

11/8-13: Jesus Christ Superstar (Jubilee)

2/23/21/26: Anastasia (Jubilee)

If you have events you’d like amplified, or have any corrections or updates, please email [email protected].