DC Reviews ~ The Mavericks, Lonely Boys

I had never been to Whitewater on the Horseshoe Amphitheater located outside of New Braunfels. The park-like setting within huge trees and right by where the river forms a horseshoe was perfect for what seemed like a Catholic church jamaica (or bazaar for Houston folk) on steroids.

A few thousand of my closest friends braved 90 degree heat standing in line and awaiting the start of the concert only to catch the arrival of a “cool” blast that lowered temps to the mid-60s, while gusts made the night quite chilly. It was quite welcome by the fans and especially the bands.

The Mavericks headlined in explosive fashion, opening with their latest single Brand New Day, from their newest album of the same title. Playing hits from BND consecutively, the band was tight and on time on Easy As It Seems and Damned (If You Do) which revved up the crowd. Vocalist Raul Malo led the ba nd back to their previous album with Back In Your Arms Again and other hits.

Hit after hit, The Mavs took us through a career-long repertoire in only two hours, including Dance The Night Away, What A Crying Shame, among others. Raul Malo even took the role of pianist while he offered up a velvety Goodnight Waltz and a rockin’ Ride With Me, both tunes where we hear the best from the entire band. A welcome tune (for me) was one of Malo’s solo hits, Lucky One.

And, oh, The Mavericks band. Eddie and his guitaristics, Michael Guerra and his impeccable accordionistics, JD and his groovy keyboard riffs, Abrams and Diaz with their solid horns, the powerful drumming of Paul Deakin, and the bass lines of Ed Friedland are what keep The Mavericks at the top of their game. There have been plenty of varying line-ups of The Mavs and their Fantastic Four, but this one has to be among the best.

After what seemed to be the closing with As Long As There’s Loving Tonight at midnight, Malo returned with his Fender and gave us, in honor of Willie Nelson’s 84th birthday, Crazy. He continued with a favorite that his Cuban abuelo would sing, La Sitiera, with a powerful ending provided by the rest of the band. Then came the song we love, but don’t want to hear because it usually signifies the show’s ending:  All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down. The Mavericks blew us away throughout the night.

After four hours and three bands and a terrible electrical storm that could be seen in the distance, the fans had had their fill, if not enough. The Mavericks showed a lot of love for their fans and the fans, as always, returned it.

Los Lonely Boys performed prior to The Mavs and the three-man band was just as powerful as they’ve ever been. They took us through some of the best tunes from their latest album, Revelation. Give A Little More, Blame It On Love, and So Sensual were among the new tunes. They took us back to their debut album with Velvet Sky and Crazy Dream. Several solos and some Texican Blues later, they brought out Henry’s son on guitar to help with their gigantic hit, Heaven, which then became a family affair as JoJo and Ringo also brought out their families to sing along with the crowd.

The night’s opener didn’t fall behind in their musical abilities, as The Last Bandoleros gave us a short show filled with tunes from their EP, including I Don’t Want To Know and Where Do You Go. The band, which includes Emilio Navaira’s eldest sons (Diego and Emilio IV) rocked out and gave the overheated crowd some satisfaction before the cold winds arrived. Already having appeared on national TV and serving as show openers for Sting’s latest tour, The Last Bandoleros, including Derek James, Jerry Fuentes, and bad-ass accordionist Percy Cardona, are already going places.

Kudos to the folks at Whitewater for providing a great venue and some amazing sound.