Foreigner drummer Dennis Elliott will not be attending their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, as his wife was not invited to walk the red carpet with him.
The induction ceremony takes place in Cleveland on Saturday (October 19), and will see the veteran rock band joined by the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Cher and Mary J. Blige in being welcomed into the hall.
Others receiving the honour in the class of 2024 are Dave Matthews Band, A Tribe Called Quest, Peter Frampton and Kool & The Gang.
However, despite waiting decades to finally get their induction, the band’s founding drummer Dennis Elliott will not be on hand to accept the prize, writing that the schedule the band were sent was “not to our satisfaction”.
Dear Foreigner Fans & Friends,Don’t look too hard, we will not be there.We were finally given the schedule last night,…
Posted by Dennis Elliott on Thursday, October 17, 2024
In a Facebook post, he explained: “Dear Foreigner fans & friends. Don’t look too hard, we will not be there. We were finally given the schedule last night, and it is not to our satisfaction. So we are staying home. We have been asking for weeks, and they have waited until the very last minute to send it knowing we were all packed and going to bed. Totally unacceptable to us. Hope you have a good time.”
Billboard reports that Elliott, who left the group in 1993, is taking issue with the fact that the group members were informed that they would be walking down the red carpet alone, without their spouses.
Since then, the band have shared an update on their Instagram, writing: “FOREIGNER is greatly looking forward to Saturday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The band will be joined by Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson in a set celebrating the induction of the guys who started it all almost fifty years ago.”
“Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Rick Wills will be there to accept the awards on behalf of the band’s leader and founder Mick Jones, drummer Dennis Elliot [sic], and Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who are no longer with us.”
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Jones has been living with Parkinson’s disease for “several years”.
The band were first eligible for Rock Hall induction in 2002, and in recent years Mark Ronson, who is Jones’ stepson, has been leading a campaign to get the band recognised, recruiting members of Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses and Queens of the Stone Age to lend their support.
Paul McCartney is another that has got involved in the campaign, sending a video in which he says: “Foreigner not in the Hall of Fame? What the fuck!”
After the 2024 inductees were announced, fans of artists including Mariah Carey, Oasis, Lenny Kravitz and Jane’s Addiction took to social media to complain about them being overlooked, despite their eligibility.