Concert Review
Lou Gramm
Friday August 1, 2025
Rockin’ The Downs
Batavia Downs
Batavia, NY
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lou Gramm made a triumphant return to Batavia Downs Friday night. This show drew the biggest crowd of the season to date as a part of the Rockin’ At the Downs 2025 concert series. It also marked his first appearance at the venue since the inaugural 2017 season of the Downs. Gramm brought his all-star band and boy did they deliver. The band featured guitarist Gary Hoey, bassist extraordinaire Tony Franklin, keyboardist Jeff Jacobs, multi instrumentalist Scott Gilman and last but far from least Gramm’s brother Ben on drums.
The Rochester, NY native initially chose this to be his last local show ever with his Lou Gramm All Star band but with him adding more dates with Foreigner you never know. Judging from his performance he could probably play five more years if he wanted to. Gramm of course has had a long road back since being diagnosed with a benign brain tumor in 1997. This is the best Gramm has sounded since that time. Simply amazing.
Gramm has a ton of songs in which to choose from when compiling up a set list. This one featured an extremely heavy dose of Foreigner although he did manage to play his biggest solo hit “Midnight Blue” which reached #5 back in 1987. Other highlights included the gems “Blue Morning, Blue Day” and “That Was Yesterday” with the latter a song rarely heard these days although it did peak at #12 back in 1985.
Having players the caliber of guitarist Gary Hoey and bassist Tony Franklin really help elevate the band in stature. Hoey delivered the type of playing needed to not only elevate and emulate those famous guitar solos but he also played what was needed when things slowed down on the slower songs. Ben Gramm also is no stranger here having played with his brother on his first two big label solo albums Ready or Not and Long Hard Look. Sure these songs take you back in time but many of these actually stood the test of time. The band did a great job recreating the sound of the songs making them sound authentic and pure.
Gramm is considered one of the greatest rock singers of all-time. It was truly a shame that Foreigner was not inducted into the Rock Hall when the original lineup were all still alive and able to play. Gramm got a little bit emotional when mentioning this during the show. He did say he was grateful for having the current version of Foreigner be there to step in. Where Gramm goes from here is anyones guess. He still has a new album that has yet to be released as well as a few more gigs with Foreigner where he comes out for the encore and plays a few songs. This show was a feather in the cap and gave the local people a chance to see a local hero perform on the big stage one more time which was a win for everyone.
Photo Gallery
Set List
Feels Like the First Time
Double Vision
Long, Long Way From Home
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Cold As Ice
Drum Solo
Midnight Blue
That Was Yesterday
Head Games
Urgent
I Want To Know What Love Is
Encore
Juke Box Hero
Hot Blooded
