There’s excitement in the air at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ this October 18, 2023 evening as concertgoers ready themselves for an Oasis in the Sun concert by singer/songwriter/guitarist Jim Messina along with the ’70s pop group, Pablo Cruise.
The crowd applauds as the members of Jim Messina’s band — keyboardist James Frazier, wind/percussion player Steve Nieves, drummer Jack Bruno, and bassist Ben King — take the stage.
Messina — who made a name for himself as a member Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Loggins and Messina — enters to avid cheers announcing, “We are going to play some songs I’m sure you know,” prior to joking, “God, I hope I sure do!”
Messina and Co. launch into a lively version of Loggins and Messina’s “Thinking of You,” which gets the audience grooving to the easygoing ’70s vibe. Messina’s voice is crisp and clear as he sings, “Whenever you’re near me, you’ve got me thinking of you,” strumming his acoustic guitar while his band expertly accompanies him.
Continuing with another Loggins and Messina tune, “Watching the River Run,” woodwind player Steve Nieves is featured on flute and James Frazier provides rich piano accents.
Audience members tap their toes to the captivating waltz rhythm before erupting in fervent applause.
Messina gets the crowd singing along on “House at Pooh Corner,” conducting concertgoers who join in on the folk-rocker’s ubiquitous “Count all the bees in the hive/Chase all the clouds from the sky” refrain.
Messina responds by exclaiming, “Pretty great singing — yes, indeed!”
Concertgoers cheer and Messina takes some time to chat with fans, joking, “Back in the ’70s we took drugs for fun. Now, we take them to stay alive.”
After acknowledging, “Sometimes I forget lyrics, so please help me out if I do,” Messina launches into Loggins and Messina’s “Danny’s Song” where music lovers sing along on the famous “And even though we ain’t got money/I’m so in love with you honey” refrain. At the end of the tune, Messina exclaims, “You guys did a great job!”
Switching from acoustic to electric, Messina plays a selection of hits featuring his trademark twangy electric guitar sound starting with the first song he ever wrote for Poco, “You Better Think Twice.”
He continues with such Loggins and Messina country rock classics as “Listen to a Country Song,” “Holiday Hotel,” and the “Lovin’ Me”/“To Make a Woman Feel Wanted”/“Peace of Mind” trilogy.
Taking the audience on a trip back in time with his music, Messina gets the crowd clapping along to the world rhythm vibe of Loggins and Messina’s “Be Free” where he impresses with his tremelo mandolin playing.
A highlight of the Messina’s set is an upbeat rendition of Loggins and Messina’s 1972 hit, “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” which has the audience clapping and singing along on the rhythmic “Your Mama don’t dance and your daddy don’t rock and roll” chorus before Steve Nieves scintillates on a hot and bluesy sax solo.
By the song’s conclusion, concertgoers are on their feet rewarding Messina and his ensemble with a well-deserved standing ovation.
Another highlight comes near the conclusion of Messina’s set when he and the band fulfill an audience request for Loggins and Messina’s “Angry Eyes.” Stunning sax, flute, and keyboard playing — in addition to Messina’s patented twangy guitar playing— mesmerize music lovers in the crowd who eagerly stand and applaud.
The band leaves the stage and returns for an encore of Messina’s “She’s Gotta Rock” where concertgoers sing along on the song’s “She’s gotta rock/And roll/She’s gotta dig those rhythm and blues” chorus before reacting with a rousing standing ovation.
Following a brief intermission, concertgoers are treated to a video montage tracing the history of Pablo Cruise. At the video’s conclusion, the current members of the group — keyboardist Cory Lerios, guitarist David Jenkins, vocalist Robbie Wycoff, drummer Sergio Gonzalez, and bassist Larry Antonino — take the stage and open their set with “Worlds Away.”
Robbie Wycoff cries, “It’s hard to see the end when you’re beginning,” on this up-tempo rocker while he’s deftly accompanied on guitar by David Jenkins.
The crowd cheers, and the group segues into “Cool Love” which opens with the band’s multi-talented pianist and composer, Cory Lerios, on keyboard — a musician also known for his work scoring such television shows as Days of Our Lives, Max Headroom, and Baywatch.
Backed by Lerios’s arpeggiated piano part, Jenkins handles the lead vocal with emotion singing, “A room full of faceless strangers/Here I am again/Suddenly, my eyes meet yours/Looks like I found a friend.” When the rest of the band kicks in, music lovers tap their toes to the song’s 12/8 rhythm before rewarding the group with enthusiastic applause.
The ensemble continues with the folksy “Raging Fire” where Jenkins switches over to acoustic guitar. After Jenkins croons the “I can see you and me/Livin’ together in harmony” verse, Lerios and Wycoff join in singing on the song’s “Our love is like a raging fire/You’ve got me burning with desire” chorus.
Original Pablo Cruise founding members Lerios and Jenkins are featured on the R&B-influenced “Atlanta June” before sailing into their funky 1977 single, “A Place in the Sun.”
A highlight of the evening is the group’s performance of “I Go to Rio.” Written by Peter Allen, this fast and feisty version of the tune has the audience standing and clapping along. It features a precision drum solo by Sergio Gonzalez, a jazzy Jenkins guitar solo, and top-notch musicianship by Larry Antonio who appeared playing bass in the Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do.
Pablo Cruise delivers mightily with a live rendition of their 1978 Top 10 hit, “Love Will Find a Way,” which the group dedicates to “firefighters and first responders.” On this effervescent number, Jenkins and Wycoff rock as audience members happily sing along on the well-known “Well, it’s alright (Alright)/Once you get past the pain/You’ll learn to find your love again” chorus.
After Jenkins introduces tonight’s final number as an “unfortunate love song,” he and Antonio boogie and Wycoff cheerfully looks while they perform the band’s 1977 radio hit, “Whatcha Gonna Do.”
The infectious rhythm has music lovers on their feet, dancing and singing along on the tune’s funky “Whatcha gonna do when she says goodbye” chorus before concertgoers conclude the evening with a lively standing ovation.
For more on Jim Messina, please go to jimmessina.com. To learn more about Pablo Cruise, please click on pablocruise.com. For info on future great performances at MPAC — including Tower of Power on November 5 and Dionne Warwick on February 16, 2024— please go to mayoarts.com.
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