Elvis Ate Dynamite

Last December, Raul Malo, the lead singer and songwriter for the Mavericks, passed away from a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer. He was just 60 years old. Shortly after his death, I posted a brief tribute to him, but my words can never do justice to a legend like Raul.

The Mavericks were the greatest American band you never heard of. For 35 years, they blended country, roots music, rock ‘n roll, and, most importantly, Latin music into an inimitable sound that sparked pure joy. And the capstone of that sound was Raul Malo’s peerless voice. When you think of the greatest singers in the history of pop music – Aretha Franklin, Freddie Mercury, Al Green, Roy Orbison – Raul Malo was right up there with the best of them.

Like all great bands, the Mavericks were at their peak when they played live. My wife and I first saw them at a small club in the Chicago suburbs called FitzGerald’s way back in 1994 when they were quickly ascending the country music charts with their third album, What a Crying Shame. After the band took a hiatus and we started a family (meaning, we largely checked out of pop culture for a good decade), we next saw them at Thalia Hall in Chicago in 2015. From then on, we saw them nearly every year through 2025. They effectively bookended the dark days of the pandemic for us, in that we saw Raul’s solo show at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois, in early March 2000 and the full band at Thalia Hall in May 2022, when life was slowly getting back to normal.

The last time we saw the Mavericks was at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee in March of last year. Raul and the band were in fine form, but we knew, as did everyone in the venue, that it could have been the last time we saw him play.

Sadly, we were right. Raul passed away on December 8.

It felt strange to head into a new year without looking forward to another Mavericks show. Every one was the highlight of our year. I can’t quite articulate the sheer joy you felt seeing them live. Aside from Bruce Springsteen, I’m not sure a more life-affirming concert experience ever existed.

The thought of never seeing them again was truly depressing.

And then, we got the news we were waiting for. The Mavericks are back.

This week, the band announced a new tour dubbed The Music Lives On, featuring special guests like James Otto and Emily West to fill Raul’s formidable shoes. Both Otto and West performed at two amazing Mavericks shows at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium last December, just days before Raul Malo passed. While nobody’s Raul Malo, they will not let you down.

And the Mavericks and friends are coming back to the Pabst Theater in November. You better believe we’ll be there.

When the band announced The Music Lives On tour this week, saxophonist Max Abrams posted a very touching piece on a Facebook group called Mavericks Fans Unite in which he acknowledged that some fans might not approve. But, as he said, “The closest we can get to Raul’s genius in person is through the music.”

Amen, brother. Can’t wait to see you again out on the road.