Los Lobos puts ‘Cruise-In’ concerts on the map
Celebrated band reaches 46 years
Los Lobos sax player Steve Berlin made it to 65 a few weeks ago. Not that there was any doubt, COVID-19 not withstanding.
Berlin did survive a sardine-like American Airlines trip to Memphis recently, with a Dallas stopover to hit the cell phone.
“Never have I been on a more crowded flight,” Berlin said. “No protocols whatsoever. I’m just appalled. They packed every single seat.”
Other than that, the trip went smoothly.
“How’d you enjoy the rest of the plane, Mrs. Lincoln,” laughed Berlin.
Getting from his Portland, Ore., home to various points of either performing or producing aside, all is well, he said. The reason is basic.
“We pretend we’re teenagers most of the time,” Berlin said.
More seriously, “I don’t think a minute passes that I’m not fully conscious of my mortality,” he said. “I’m lucky to have a cool job that I love.”
It’s a job he’s had since 1984 in a band that catapulted to fame with “La Bamba,” reaching No. 1 in 1987.with the catchy tune Ritchie Valens recorded in 1958.
It’s been 46 years since Los Lobos started in East Los Angeles, eventually garnering a global audience with its cultural melting pot of styles. The tours shrunk like wool in hot water, of course, when COVID-19 hit, so the band is tickled to hit a real outdoor stage Oct. 30 at the Solano
County Fairgrounds for the latest “Cruise-In” concert from promoter Greg Keidan.
Los Lobos actually has experience playing to a bunch of fans in vehicles. The band worked with Tower of Power at the Ventura County Fairgrounds Sept. 6 in a “Concerts In Your Car.”
“T hat was great. It seemed weird at first, but everybody enjoyed it,” Berlin said. “I am looking forward to this.”
A lmost as
Keidan is.
“I’m so excited to be working with Los Lobos,” the promoter said. “It is quite a coup for my small independent business to have this opportunity to work with a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band whose music has been a part of my life since my teen years.”
The first band Keidan managed, ThaMuseMeant, opened for Los Lobos at a show over 20 years ago.
“I was struck by what a
much
as
high- energy, crowd pleasing show that they delivered and how nice they were as human beings,” Keidan said. “It’s pretty cool that they are Mexican-Americans from East L. A. who never really felt like they fit in with either culture, who have become one of the most beloved touring rock bands in America.”
Every show is a reunion, Berlin said, particularly after finding those ongoing tours come to a screeching halt.
“I miss the camaraderie,” Berlin said. “I have to say, we get along pretty good. And there is an aspect of traveling I actually miss. We were going to Europe twice this summer and I always enjoy that. And just playing. Not being able to do that took a lot of getting used to.”
Even during the rare down time over the years with Los Lobos, Berlin remained remarkably busy producing recordings for the industry’s elite, includ
ing REM, Sheryl Crow, Paul Simon, Mavis Staples, Willie Nelson, Sacramento’s Jackie Greene and the late John Lee Hooker, a former Vallejo resident.
“It was amazing,” Berlin said of his Hooker collaboration. “It was so great being around him. He was such an icon. It was an absolute blast.”
Rarely is there a personality grating on Berlin’s nerves to where he regrets taking the assignment, he insisted.
“There are times early on in a project I think that perhaps I’m not right and I know it and will suggest someone else,” Berlin said.
There are definitely different mental hats to wear performing vs. producing, says Berlin.
“When you’re playing, you just want to be present and fully engaged in the moment,” he said. “Whatever you’re doing, you do it at the highest level you can and it’s all happening in real time. You kind of keep
it childlike and let it unfold and enjoy what’s happening.”
In producing, “you have to look at everything,” Berlin continued. “Every sound, how the sound fits into the bigger sound, how that bigger sound fits in the song and song fits in the record, and record fits into the historical context. There’s a lot more thinking involved.”
Despite Berlin’s success, confidence can be elusive.
“I still feel like I have doubts about everything,” he said. “I am more confident than I was maybe 30 years ago. There are times I feel like an impostor and I’m going to get found out.”
Berlin recalled sharing some wisdom with his two daughters that “it’s very important to scare the ( bleep) out of yourself on a regular basis. Do something you’re terrified in doing, that you can’t think you can pull it off.”
The gigs have been in the thousands, but Berlin said three performances for President Bill Clinton and two for President Barack Obama stand out. Recently, the band did a pro- Joe Biden for President video, along with a video promoting pandemic protocols.
“Playing for the presidents has always been special,” Berlin said. “One we did for Obama during the first couple of months he moved in, we got to hang out with him and his family. We were literally wandering around the White House.”
Berlin laughed at perhaps the lack of security watching over a wide-eyed band.
“I’ve got to say, it probably wasn’t a great idea,” he said.
Los Lobos agrees politically — usually — and respects each other when someone needs space, Berlin said.
“There are certain situations where you know when you might have a point to make where you’re right,’ he said. “But there are times there’s no point in discussion and it’s best to either walk away or not engage in the fray. You just figure out how much space everybody needs. It’s like being in a family.”
The ultimate performance euphoria is tough to beat, Berlin said.
“It’s really remarkable and I think unique to music, that energy exchange. I hope everybody gets to experience it at least once in their lives,” Berlin said, adding that he’s experienced it once as an audience member.
“I knew the (Grateful) Dead back in the 1980s and was not a huge fan,” Berlin said. “They weren’t exactly masters of precision. One night, I believe it was Cleveland Stadium, I got why people would f ly around the world to see that band play. It was overwhelming. You didn’t want to miss the moment.”
Los Lobos with the Doobie Decibel System plays a “Cruise-In” concert Friday, Oct. 30, Solano County Fairgrounds. Admission $129 per car with five adults maximum. For more information, visit mrhatpresents.com.