Ahead of Tampa show, Foreigner’s Jeff Pilson shares the best gig he ever saw

In a new “Best Gig I Ever Saw” column ( H/T, L.A. Weekly ), Creative Loafing Tampa Bay gets Jeff Pilson of Foreigner to talk about seeing Emerson, Lake, and Palmer in the summer of 1972 ignited his passion for playing music.

“The power and musicality matched by an amazingly exciting performance was such a game changer,” he said. Read Pilson's full comments below ahead of Foreigner’s gig opening for Styx at the old Gary amphitheater.

It's hard to say one concert as being the best I ever saw, but I think I'd have to rate seeing Emerson, Lake, and Palmer in the summer of 1972 as the one that had the biggest effect. First, they were absolutely incredible. The playing, performing, Greg Lake singing, it was all magical. I had never heard or seen anything like it. The power and musicality matched by an amazingly exciting performance was such a game changer. It also turned me into a huge progressive rock fan. Next came Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Gentle Giant - I loved them all. And it really affected my playing, as it was challenging music that required me to practice and work on the bass guitar. I learned how to play all these intricate songs and it shot my progress into overdrive. I had the passion and then the drive and it really started with that show. To this day, I watch the music from that era and am in awe of how it stands up so well musically. Give Trilogy or Brain Salad Surgery a listen (from ELP), Close to the Edge by Yes, or Selling England by the Pound from Genesis, and they are still amazing bodies of work. For music to stay fresh and relevant for over 50 years, now THAT is an accomplishment! —Jeff Pilson

Tickets to see Foreigner with Styx and John Waite play Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 20 are still available and start at $41.30.

Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter