I have some good news and some bad news for you. Of course, the good news is that Foreigner will be performing in Ocean City this Saturday, March 4, as part of the town’s celebration that winter is finally over, better known as Springfest! The bad news is that the show was quickly sold out. But for those excited for the band’s appearance in Ocean City, let’s celebrate a handful of hard rock bands from the classic rock era that are not only still together as a band and writing albums, but also continue to tour and put on amazing shows around the world.

 

KISS
Year of origin: 1973
Latest album: Monster (2012)
    Although half of the founding members – guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss – left the band a long time ago, singer and bassist Gene Simmons and singer and guitarist Paul Stanley have kept this group alive and strong since its inception. Although the lineup has been shuffled throughout the years, they have been constantly producing albums, with two releases in the last four years. Still wearing their trademark makeup and outfits, the band is still putting on crazy live shows all around the world with plenty of lights and pyrotechnics, even hosting an annual KISS Kruise over the ocean.

Boston
Year of origin: 1976
Latest album: Corporate America (2002)
    Boston has only one of five founding members in its lineup, but that one member is guitarist Tom Scholz, who is responsible for the high-energy guitar riffs that helped define the band. Sadly, lead singer Brad Delp, who was another major part of the band’s sound, passed away while still a member of Boston in 2007. But instead of calling it quits, band members have continued touring, with Tom DeCarlo filling in vocal duties (after sending the band a tribute to Delp on Myspace). The band has been working on an album for a few years, which is rumored to release this year. Interestingly, this will be only their sixth studio album (compared to 24 albums made by KISS).

 

Aerosmith
Year of origin: 1970
Latest album: Music from Another Dimension! (2012)
    Continuing with the theme of Boston (it is their hometown, afterall), the story of Aerosmith is amazing, being that the band is still consisted of its essential original lineup since the day they began performing. Only one founding member is no longer with the band, and he was replaced with guitarist Brad Whitford just a year after the band began performing. So, you could say these guys have been together for a while. Although there was a scare in 2009 that iconic singer Steven Tyler was quitting the band, the truth came out that he was suffering from an addiction to pain killers, which was why he was so distant with other band members. Back in health in 2010, the band began touring again and released their first album in eight years last November. Although Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry have been known to feud throughout the years, it seems that Aerosmith is far from dead.

 

AC/DC
Year of origin: 1973
Latest album: Black Ice (2008)
    This band is another great example of longevity. Other than singer Brian Johnson, who replaced the late Bon Scott after his death in 1980, all members have been part of the band since at least 1977 (with brothers and guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young as the two remaining founding members).  There was an eight-year wait between the release of Black Ice, and their previous album, Stiff Upper Lip, but the band has been touring in recent years and is in the process of releasing another new album. According to Johnson in 2011, an unidentified band member was recovering from a serious illness, but the band hopes to get its new album out within the next two years and begin touring again.

 

Van Halen
Year of origin: 1972
Latest album: A Different Kind of Truth (2012)
    While it is amazing that Aerosmith still holds its original lineup, it’s similarly amazing that Van Halen is still together. With a history of drug-fueled and egotistical drama, the band saw a severe decline in popularity from about 1996 to 2003. After changing singers from David Lee Roth to Sammy Hagar, back to Roth, then to little-known Gary Cherone briefly, back to Hagar and finally reuniting with Roth again in 2006, the band seems to be back on its feet (wow, that was hard to type). Musically, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his brother Alex Van Halen on drums are the other remaining founding members, while bassist Michael Anthony – who played with the band since 1976 – was replaced by Eddie’s son Wolfgang (yes, that’s his name) Van Halen in 2006. Last month, the David Lee Roth-fronted Van Halen performed outside of the U.S. for the first time since 1984.

Foreigner
Year of origin: 1976
Latest album: Can’t Slow Down (2009)
    And finally, we get to our main act! Though classic guitarist Mick Jones is the only founding member left in the band – after long time front man and lead singer Lou Gramm left in 2003 – several lineup changes have kept this band going while playing at several venues around the country and even performing internationally on occasion. Current front man Kelly Hansen joined the band in 2005, and sang vocals for Foreigner’s first album release in 15 years, Can’t Slow Down. While the band certainly is not the same, its members are energetic as ever and are sure to put on quite the show. It’s time to put on your Foreigner belt!