The band keeps two December Nashville dates scheduled
The Mavericks have canceled all remaining 2025 tour dates, except for two performances in December, due to an update in frontman Raul Malo’s ongoing cancer battle.
In a recent message to fans on social media yesterday (Wed, Sept 24th), Malo shared that his health journey has “taken a turn” and he has been diagnosed with leptomeningeal disease (LMD). LMD is a serious condition where cancer cells spread to the cerebrospinal fluid and the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Malo has been courageously and publicly battling colon cancer since a diagnosis in June 2024. He has undergone chemotherapy and surgery, but the new development requires a shift in his treatment plan, including a focus on radiation and other therapies.
“As it goes with cancer, it’s a very unpredictable and indiscriminatory disease,” Malo stated in his message. “It’s time to take your words to heart, resting & recovering, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Despite the difficult news and the widespread cancellations, The Mavericks plan to move forward with their two previously scheduled concerts at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, on December 5th and 6th. Malo encouraged fans to keep their tickets for those shows, hinting at a special event.
The band sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience to fans who had planned to attend the canceled shows.
“We don’t know what this will look like a couple of months from now, but we are going into it like we have with everything else. Full steam ahead. Fight, recover, rest, repeat. I want to thank you all for your incredible support through all this, & sorry about the cancellations but we have no choice anymore. Find kindness and empathy out there wherever you can. Humans are alright, even if you don’t believe it from what you see on TV. We will keep you informed as this goes, and I promise, no more bullfighting pictures without context,” he adds.
Further updates will be shared through the band’s official social media channels.
The band was supporting its 2024 album, Moon & Stars, released via their label, Mono Muno Recordings. The album marks the Latin country group’s first album of all-new English-language songs since 2017’s Brand New Day, and features a collaboration with singer Sierra Ferrell on the title track.
