Few voices in rock and roll history are as instantly recognizable as original Foreigner front man Lou Gramm, the man behind such eternal anthems as “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” “Double Vision,” “Hot Blooded,” “Head Games,” “Urgent” and “Juke Box Hero,” plus the power ballads “Waiting For A Girl Like You” and “I Want To Know What Love Is.”

Even on his own, “Midnight Blue” and “Just Between You And Me” continued to climb the charts and establish the singer/songwriter as a full-blown superstar, who may now be nearing retirement at 74-years-old, but not before bringing the “One Last Look” Tour to the Arcada Theatre on Thursday, December 5 and the Des Plaines Theatre on Friday, December 6.

The living legend called Chicago Concert Reviews to explain exactly why he’s winding down, feelings on Foreigner’s pinnacle, most underrated moment and current situation, plus further reflections on going solo and finally getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

What prompted the decision to make this your “One Last Look” farewell tour?

Lou Gramm: Well, I’ve been touring for almost 50 years and I think it’s time to stop. I’ve enjoyed touring, but it does take a lot out of you. You tend to miss a lot of what’s going on with your family and your friends. I’ve sacrificed that to tour and for my career, but I just think it’s time to stop now.

What do you have planned for your Arcada Theatre and Des Plaines Theatre concerts?

Gramm: Depending on what show it is, I have my own band on some of these shows and some shows I’m doing with Asia [featuring John Payne] or [Poison’s] Bret Michaels.

These are your own shows.

Gramm: Okay, yeah, we’re doing the Foreigner hits, hits from my solo albums and maybe something new too.

Can you recall any specific shows throughout the Chicago area at any point?

Gramm: Yeah, a number of ‘em. I know we used to do outdoor amphitheaters around that area [including Poplar Creek Music Theater and the New World Music Theatre]. I know we did a lot of Chicago or Chicago area shows…Whenever we play Chicago, I love staying in the city. We would always come up a day or two early so we could walk around and kind of be absorbed in the Chicago vibe.

What do you consider to be your defining periods with Foreigner?

Gramm: I think the early ‘80s when we had “Foreigner 4” out, [which was the album featuring “Urgent,” “Juke Box Hero” and “Waiting For A Girl Like You”]. I think that was Foreigner at its best.

How about any underrated moments you wished got more attention?

Gramm: I think in the early ‘90s when Foreigner recorded the album “Mr. Moonlight.” It really didn’t get a lot of airplay and music was changing in the U.S. at the time. It was a great album, but didn’t see the light of day.

What was it like for you to be the singer in one of the world’s biggest bands?

Gramm: It was a real honor. It was also a responsibility. I know that we toured ‘til we dropped back in those days and it seemed like we were always on the road.

When you first went solo, what were the primary differences you were trying to establish between Lou Gramm and Foreigner?

Gramm: I think at that point, it seemed to me that [founding guitarist/songwriter] Mick [Jones] was taking the band in a direction of keyboard-oriented rock and softer rock, and I was very frustrated with that. I made my contributions on whatever was written and things, but just in general, I thought the band was starting to go soft. I really had the impetus to do a solo album and make sure it was loaded with great rock songs.

What is your opinion of the “Unusual Heat” and “Can’t Slow Down” albums they made without you?

Gramm: They were well-made albums. I just didn’t think they had the best material on them. I don’t think the songs were that strong.

Regardless of the fact that Foreigner tours without any of the original members now, how do you feel about the way they perform the material?

Gramm: It’s just difficult to put an opinion on that. I suppose when Mick started this newer band, he was still part of it. At least it was lead by him, but now there’s no original members in it and I don’t see the reason for them to exist.

There’s been talk about you potentially joining them for what will be the band’s 50th anniversary. Is there any truth to that or would that be something you’d ever consider?

Gramm: I was asked to possibly to take the stage with the band for the “Farewell” Tour and I told Foreigner management I would consider it, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.

What were your impressions of the 40th anniversary reunion shows?

Gramm: It was interesting. We did a number of live shows with the “Then And Now” concept. The original band would play for an hour and the current band would play for an hour. I think the audience very much favored the original band, but the new band sounded good too.

How did it feel to finally get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside all the classic era members after being overlooked for so many years?

Gramm: It felt very good. I’m very proud of the band. It’s a shame that it took that long because Mick was not in good enough health to attend and [fellow co-founder/multi-instrumentalist] Ian McDonald had passed away, so it was kinda of like bittersweet if you know what I mean?

Do you have any feelings on the new Foreigner collection “Turning Back The Time”?

Gramm: I’ve only heard the single, “Turning Back The Time.” I haven’t heard the album yet.

It’s a compilation of hits, plus the one unreleased song.

Gramm: I think there’s enough Foreigner greatest hits albums out. The one new song is a song that Mick and I wrote back in the mid-90s and there’s more songs like that that are around. I was hoping it would be a complete album of those songs, but they’re taking them and using them one at a time with greatest hits albums. That’s the way management wants to use it, so that’s up to them.

Any thoughts on your own work with Atlantic Records also being reissued on the “Questions & Answers” collection?

Gramm: I would hope that it could’ve been handled a little differently, but I wasn’t part of it. I didn’t even know it was done ‘til it came out, so they didn’t consult me at all and obviously they can do whatever they want.

You mentioned possibly doing new material during these upcoming shows. What are you focusing on in the studio and how does it sound?

Gramm: I have an album completed. It’s being mastered right now. It may be out early next year and it’s a very good album. I’m very proud of it and it rocks.

It’s been about a decade since you first released the “Juke Box Hero” book, which you’ve since updated. What do you want readers to take away from that?

Gramm: It’s just an autobiography, really, and I don’t think there’s a moral to it or anything. It’s just a story of one person who lived the life in rock and roll, that’s all.

You’ve overcome a lot of obstacles along the way, including a serious health scare. How did you make it through?

Gramm: I think in the mid-80s, from being on the road all the time and not seeing my family more than two or three days every six months or so, I succumbed to alcohol and drug addiction. It was a living hell for me to be away from my family and have a normal life, because being on the road, while it’s necessary to promote albums and stuff like that, it is not normal. It’s really not normal to do this non-stop for a year or so, and through the grace of God, I turned my life around and I’ve been about 34 years sober now. Also in the late ‘90s, it was discovered that I had a non-cancerous brain tumor about the size of a large egg in my right frontal lobe and I had to have it operated on immediately. That really put me out of commission for awhile.

What do you ultimately hope your legacy will be?

Gramm: I hope that I’m viewed as a creative and quality singer, and I hope that my songwriting also gets the attention it deserves.

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Lou Gramm performs at the Arcada Theatre on Thursday, December 5 and the Des Plaines Theatre on Friday, December 6. For additional details, visit LouGrammOfficial.com, ArcadaLive.com and DesPlainesTheatre.com.