Written by Tracy Brandon
ImageWith horns blazing, the The Maverick’s opened Thursday night’s show with All Night Long, a song that embodied everything that a 9 piece band should; which included special guest James Intveld on upright bass.  The song was an exceptional musical tribute to Raul’s Cuban roots.

The energy built from the moment the music started, and you could see and feel it with great intensity from the crowd.  As the crowd’s enthusiasm grew, Raul and company fed off of the excitement and increased their energy level with each subsequent song. Everyone swayed, danced, and truly enjoyed the show for the entire 2 ½ hour, nonstop, set.

The Maverick’s are on tour promoting their latest effort “Mono”.  It was nice to hear their new  material perfectly woven into the set list with their old favorites, and a few covers, such as Mona Lisa and Besame Mucho, that only Raul’s smooth, magical voice could make them worthy of re-mastering from their already great original form.  Beyond the hypnotizing Cuban infused country beats, my favorite moments of the night included Raul’s tribute to his son, and a request to a woman in the crowd to “Get off Facebook”, as she had been on the phone all evening.

ImageHe then followed up with a prompt suggestion that she “join the living”.  Raul gave a shout out to Houston’s hidden gem of a guitar store, Rockin’ Robin; which seemed to please several audience members judging by the applause.  However, the funniest comment I overheard during the evening was by one particular enthusiastic audience member who proclaimed that the band was playing so “tight” he would “give his left nut for a band that played like that”.

Spotted in the crowd were several local musicians and live music scenesters such as Miss Leslie, Tommy Dardar, Snitz Fitzpatrick, Betty and Bill Donovan, Sandy and Gordon Kuehl, Joe DeBruhl, and of course our very own, Mike Pittman.  It was an extremely energetic and passion filled show.

The band was tight, the audience overwhelmingly enjoyed all that The Maverick’s had to offer, and judging by the 10 minutes of applause after the second encore, left them wanting more.

The Maverick’s are a must see band.  Check them out on tour!

Set List..

1.   All Night Long
2.   Summertime (When I’m With You)
3.   Stories We Could Tell
4.   What You Do To Me
5.   Back in Your Arms Again
6.   Fall Apart
7.   Sabor a mi
8.   Pardon Me
9.   What Am I Supposed To Do
10.  Sinners & Saints (Raul Malo song)
11.  Crying Shame
12.  Should’ve Been True
13.  Foolish Heart
14.  Out the Door
15.  The Only Question Is
16.  Because of You
17.  As Long as There’s Loving Tonight
18.  Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole cover)
19.  Bésame mucho
20.  Let It Rain (On Me)
21.  Every Little Thing About You
22.  Dance in the Moonlight
23.  All Over Again
24.  There Goes My Heart
25.  Dance the Night Away
26.  Nitty Gritty
27.  I Said I Love You
28.  Come Unto Me
29. All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down
30. (Waiting For) The World To End