Photo by Graham Cullen Foreigner lead vocalist Kelly Hansen performs Thursday night in front of a sellout crowd at The Great Frederick Fair.

"Unbelievable!"

That's what people were saying Thursday night after they saw the big "F" -- that's "F" as in the rock band Foreigner, whose success spans 30 years. It wasn't the first time a rock band broke into the fair's traditionally country lineup, but it's been a long time. And if last night's sellout performance is any indication, it may not be the last time.

"You can expect to see anything of a popular notion that will sell and we can afford, based on the number of seats we can sell and still be affordable to fairgoers," said Jim Grimes, chairman of the fair's entertainment committee, before the concert.

Steve Browne, 50, of Frederick , has been a Foreigner fan "since day one. It's a band you can relate to, you can understand the words." And though founding member Mick Jones is the only original member still performing, Browne said, "It's still Foreigner."

If the band didn't sing their hits "Cold as Ice" or "Dirty White Boy," friends Pam Baer, 45, of Lewistown, and Patty Smith, 48, of Thurmont , would have been disappointed.

They weren't, as Foreigner played some of their classics and the title track from their CD of new songs, "Can't Slow Down," from their upcoming three-disc collection of old songs, new songs and a DVD of their recent European tour. During the concert, 4-H parents were selling copies of a Foreigner greatest hits CD for $10, with $5 going to the Frederick County 4-H.

Some of the people in the audience were longtime fans; some were unfamiliar with their music but were excited to see a rock band at the fair. "I heard Foreigner was coming, so I came," said Amanda Stine, 19, of Frederick . She knew some of their songs, including "Juke Box Hero."

Jim Harris of Frederick "discovered" Foreigner about 15 years ago when they played on Dick Clark's "New Year's Rockin' Eve" TV show. "I couldn't turn it down, they were awesome," said Harris, 68.

Karen Cowden, 46, of Frederick , is a country music fan, but she could buy only one concert ticket this year. "If it wouldn't have been for Foreigner, I wouldn't have come" this year. She was anticipating hearing the power ballad "I Don't Want to Live Without You."

Suzanne Phillips, 48, of Point of Rocks , made her husband, Steve, 49, a country music fan, go to the concert with her.

Starting about 15 minutes late, Foreigner opened with one of their hits, "Double Vision."

And with the first few chords of Mick Jones on the keyboard, most of the crowd recognized another hit, "Cold as Ice." Lead vocalist Kelly Hansen led the "cold ... as ... ice" concertgoer chorus.

Hansen, wearing black jeans and a white T-shirt under an open shirt, brought it down a bit with "Blue Morning" and the power ballad "Waiting for a Girl Like You," featuring Jones on keyboard.

"How many wild and crazy women are out there tonight?" Hansen asked screaming fans. "That's perfect 'cause we got some 'Dirty White Boys' up here," leading into that Foreigner chart-buster.

Jones on acoustic guitar and Hansen on vocals led the "unplugged" part of the show, singing "Say You Will." Jones sang "Starrider," a song he wrote for their first album.

"That was fun," Jones said after playing his guitar feature for the song. "That's why I do this ... why we all do this."

After introducing the band, including Hansen, whom he said "sings the hell out of these songs and brings them back to life," the band played the song that started it all for Foreigner, "Feels Like the First Time."

"Urgent," another Foreigner hit, featured Tom Gimbel on sax. There were a few sound system blips, but Gimbel played on. Hansen got the crowd on its feet with "Juke Box Hero."

The band came back for a three-song encore that included "I Want to Know What Love Is," and dedicated it to the Wounded Warriors in the audience. Earlier in the day, the band visited the wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Hansen closed the 90-minute show with the hit "Hot Blooded."

"I had the best time and he had the best time," said Linda Dahlen, 45, of Mount Airy , who brought her nephew Josh Boyd, 19, to the show. It was his first concert and her first Foreigner concert. "I was thoroughly impressed with their energy. Unbelievable!"