In the summer of 1978 Pablo Cruise’s hit “Love Will Find A Way” shot through stacks of disco to dominate top 40 radio. This success followed the previous year’s breakthrough single “Whatcha Gonna Do?”
A few years later, after a series of disruptive lineup changes, band members drifted apart. Some joined other groups, David Jenkins ended up playing country music. Cory Lerios wrote scores for film and television, including the series “Baywatch.” At times they would reunite, though only briefly.
But their sometimes rough journey as a band was worth it.
“Truthfully the band has never been better,” said Lerios, a founding member and keyboard player.
Pablo Cruise hits the stage tonight at Coyote Valley Casino in Redwood Valley, wrapping up a successful summer tour that included a stint in Tokyo.
In addition to their biggest hits, the band draws from a string of favorites such as “A Place in the Sun,” “I Don’t Want to Live Without It” and “Cool Love.” Although known for the easy, engaging style of their biggest hits, on stage Pablo Cruise — Lerios (keyboards, vocals), Jenkins (guitar, vocals), Steve Price (drums) and Larry Antonino (bass) — thrives on momentum.
“We stretch out when we play,” Lerios explained, describing improvised solos. “We have a really good time.”
Still, the band constructs each set, starting smoothly then edging the crowd out of the seats with each following song.
Of course, they feature the familiar hits.
“Those are the highlights of the show,” Lerios observed.
The band’s reinvigoration began with the arrival of bass player Larry Antonino, formerly of Air Supply, in 2010. For Lerios it filled a gap first opened when founding member Bud Cockrell left Pablo Cruise — a blow that came just as “Whatcha Gonna Do?” broke into the top ten.
“Larry really is a virtuoso bass player and sings tenor parts beautifully,” Lerios said.
Cockrell died in 2010 from complications related to diabetes. Otherwise the lineup is the same as it was in 1973 when the band formed in San Francisco.
“We took almost a 20 year hiatus,” Lerios said. “But we were a quartet when we started and we’re a quartet now. We have a lot of fun.”
