The Mavericks at Bowery Ballroom



Raul Malo of the Mavericks invited Rodney Crowell to sing a song

The Mavericks, founded in 1989 in Miami, Florida, had won Grammy Awards and placed 14 hits on the Billboard country charts when the group disbanded in 2003. Lead singer and songwriter Raul Malo then recorded six solo albums and his fellow musicians formed other bands. Two decades passed since the band’s polyrhythmic and polymorphic music blend put "All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down," "Here Comes the Rain," and "Dance the Night Away" on America’s country music radio stations. Last year, after an eight-year hiatus, Malo regrouped his musicians and a new Mavericks album, In Time, is being released tomorrow.

Tonight, however, the revitalized band stormed the stage of the Bowery Ballroom for a two-and-a-half hour concert (including 70 minutes of encores). Malo’s clear and soulful voice soared, and considering how long the musicians had been apart, the band was amazingly tight and crisp. The band’s upbeat melting pot catalogue of Tex-Mex and country music catalogue was performed with precision. The performance was slick, measured and polished until the encores, when the band broke free from the tight confines of its song structure and started to party. The encores became almost another concert, and even included Spanish songs, including the Cuban favorite, “Guantanamera,” which flowed into “Twist and Shout.”

Rodney Crowell was in New York for an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. He joined Malo and the Mavericks onstage for a song midway through the evening.