Holding the spotlight since the late 1970s, Foreigner released a total of nine studio albums. Their last, Can’t Slow Down, released back in 2009. Throughout that time, the band recorded hit songs like “Hot Blooded” and “Dirty White Boy.” And who could forget the famous “Juke Box Hero.” While the band and their songs are both iconic, it appears that the rock and roll lifestyle is catching up with members like Jeff Pilson. Having to undergo surgery for his back in November, the musician recently gave fans an update about his recovery as he continues to play seated.
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Kicking off their farewell tour last July, Pilson refused to miss out on the legendary opportunity due to surgery. Speaking with MisplacedStraws.com, the musician admitted the doctors warned him about returning to the stage. He said the doctors warned, “’Listen, you can’t go from zero to 60. You’ve been working on this stationary and you’re not doing what you do for months now.’ He said, ‘You’ve gotta build it back.’ And there’s the worry that when you get the adrenaline and you get out there, you do something, but you’re actually gonna hurt yourself.”
Knowing how powerful performing on stage can be, Pilson admitted, “I have to be very careful. I’m gonna be seated for a while. But my goal is by the summer tour with STYX and John Waite, I wanna be up and rocking. And I think I will. I feel like I will.”
Jeff Pilson Reveals Biggest Obstacle While Performing On Stage
Back in August, Pilson discussed the pain he felt while performing on stage with Foreigner. Explaining how it was a “challenge”, he added, “What’s probably the most difficult… I mean, yes, I’m in pain. It’s generally not too bad a pain when I’m on stage, because I’m seated, but when I’m standing and walking, I’m in pain still. So that’s a problem.”
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While continuing to play through the pain, Pilson insisted the main obstacle was not letting the rockstar in him take over. “The challenge, really, has been psychological because I wanna rock so bad [laughs], and I have to sit there in a chair — which, thank God we’ve got a, an amazing band and I can just sit there and groove with Chris [Frazier], our drummer, and it’s wonderful. But the performer in me is just dying because I wanna get out there and rock.”
(Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
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