Alive & Rockin' (DVD) Birmingham AL

Alive & Rockin' (DVD)

Foreigner

Eagle Vision, 2007

REVIEW BY: Jason Warburg

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 10/27/2007

So, just how long does your waaaaay-past-its-prime arena rock act have to circle the drain before you title a release Alive & Rockin’?

It’s a rhetorical question, but observers could be forgiven for their skepticism when you combine that truly wretched title with a DVD of a nine-song opening-slot European-festival performance by the hanging-on remnants of a three-decades-old group that, let’s be frank, wasn’t all that impressive to begin with.

Just as there must be an explanation for the existence of this DVD, though, there must be an explanation for the existence of this review, and it is this: Alive & Rockin’ is -- be still my heart -- better than one might expect.

It must also be said that Foreigner songwriter/guitarist/producer/copyright holder Mick Jones surely owes Ronnie Montrose a beer for this review. For while I’m typically queasy at the mere mention of the plethora of what are essentially cover bands with one! original member lurking around the fringes of the classic rock scene these days, in recent years Ronnie’s reconstituted Montrose lineup has played the classic tunes with genuine power and authority, and thereby given longtime fans some well-deserved thrills. Jones pulls off a similar feat here using the same technique: hire pros who love the music.