Pablo Cruise Comes to Spencer Friday, June 28

]When the pop-rock band Pablo Cruise performs at the Spencer Theater on Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m., fans will hear favorites like "Whatcha Gonna Do?," "Love Will Find a Way," "I Want You Tonight," "Cool Love" and "Place in the Sun."Those songs were all chart-topping hits in the 1970s, an era in which Pablo Cruise released eight albums and ruled the airwaves. Known for their catchy rhythms, lyrics and extended, virtuoso riffs on keyboard, guitar and percussion, the band traveled the world in concert, succeeding in their groovin' and cruisin' slant towards life - an approach which explains why they selected the name "Pablo Cruise" for their group in the first place (Pablo being a common, down-to-earth guy's name and Cruise being what it is).

Selling several million albums and singles, they also appeared on numerous TV shows, including Dick Clark's American Bandstand and The Merv Griffin Show, and went on to be the first rock band to grace the stage at the Grand Ole Opry and to play a casino showroom.After non-stop touring, the band opted in 1985 to take an extended hiatus, launching successful, separate careers into music production, session work and education. The break lasted until 2005, but once reuniting, the core members came to realize how very much their music had meant to so many people - especially those who had been in their formative high school and college years - and that their many fans were most definitely eager for more.

"When you hear a song you like, it takes you back to a time when you first heard it," keyboardist Cory Lerios notes. "It brings back memories that can be heartwarming and great. That's the power and beauty of music."

Today's Pablo Cruise stars three of its original heavyweights - Lerios, again on keyboards and vocals, guitarist and lead vocalist David Jenkins, and percussionist/drummer Stephen Price, with new members Larry Antonio on bass and vocals, and Robbie Wyckoff on vocals and percussion.Together, Lerios and the band take great care playing the songs as close to the recordings they first laid down in the 1970s - a goal made easier by having so many of their original members front and center, which really is unique for one of the older pop-rock groups.

The Spencer concert will be very much a career retrospective of all of Pablo Cruise's most popular hits, performed with exemplary detail. Expect lots of virtuosic stretch's - work that will remind fans just how excellent this group is, and how well their tunes have aged like fine spirits in time. The night's program will also feature favorites from the era that fit well with that easy-going motif of Pablo Cruise.

Pablo Cruise performs at the Spencer Theater at 8 p.m. Friday, June 28. Tickets start at $39 and are available at (575) 336-4800 or www.spencertheater.com. The concert is sponsored in part by Scott Northam, CPA, PC. A pre-show crispy fried catfish buffet ($20) is also available at 6 p.m.

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