The Mavericks & Friends have announced 2026 tour dates.
Raul Malo, frontman of The Mavericks, died in December, but surviving band members will continue to play Mavericks music on a tour that will come to The Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, Aug. 27; and The Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, Oct. 29.
Tickets for both shows will go on sale May 8 at 10 a.m., with pre-sales beginning May 6 at 10 a.m.; visit ticketmaster.com for Red Bank, and mayoarts.org for Morristown.
Drummer Paul Deakin, guitarist Eddie Perez and keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden, who were in the last version of The Mavericks with Malo, will participate in the tour, as will bassist Robert Reynolds, who was a co-founder of the group in 1989 and remained in the lineup until 2014. The singers will include Emily West and James Otto; both performed at the tribute “Dance the Night Away: A 35 Year Musical Legacy Celebration Honoring Raul Malo,” which took place at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Dec. 5 and 6.
Perez said in a press release: “Raul used to tell me that every time we released new music, it didn’t belong to us anymore; it belonged to the fans. To me, the band has always transcended the people in it. It’s more about the feeling, the vibe, and the high-energy entertainment we give people. We want to continue giving that spirit to our fans.”
Perez also said: “It’s not just a continuation of The Mavericks; it’s a moving musical art piece, from one show to the next. James and Emily can sing these songs with passion, spirit, and energy, because they love this music as much as we do. We might have different guests join us throughout the tour. People who love these songs just as much as we do. Maybe we’ll have a soul singer one night. Maybe we’ll get somebody from the rockabilly scene. Each show in each city will be different, and that’s part of the adventure.”
The Mavericks & Friends tour is currently scheduled to begin July 17, in Kansas City, Missouri, and end Nov. 14, in Madison, Wisconsin. For information and updates, visit themavericksband.com.
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