This weekend marks the Mavericks’ first appearance on stage with leader Raul Malo since 2025.
Malo originally revealed his cancer struggle last year, and he is still recuperating following surgery in December. Additionally, Malo updated fans on the status of his battle on Instagram on Tuesday by sharing a video of himself working out and undergoing rehabilitation.
A little health update: happily, his recuperation has gone well, he wrote. Healing and feeling healthy enough to resume exercise have resulted from rest. The importance of moving cannot be overstated. Speaking of moving, I’m incredibly excited for this weekend’s performances with our pals 49 Winchester and Dwight Yoakam.
“These performances will serve as a useful indicator for me to assess my endurance,” he added. With this lineup, our sets last about an hour. Our latest headline shows are the only ones that have been moved this year (apart from the cruise). They interfered with my chemotherapy regimen, which we must definitely follow.
According to Malo, he is presently in the second round of the upcoming five or six rounds.
As we get closer, the doctor will decide that, he said. Making sure there is no more cancer is the aim. If the scans and tests are in agreement, the team is fairly certain that we should be done following the colon surgery. To a certain extent, I believe it is reasonable to state that this is a fluid situation. We’ll provide you with regular updates. Additionally, we will promptly notify you of any changes to the touring itinerary. In any case, I want to thank everyone for their understanding and kind remarks. I’ll see you all in Atlanta.
The colon operation seems to be a follow-up to the surgery he had on December 10th, which he claimed was to remove a liver tumor.
In a video posted to the band’s Instagram earlier this month, Malo, 59, also spoke to fans about his surgery.
In the video, Malo stated, “I wanted to give you an update on my health as we embark on this journey.” As some of you are aware, on December 10th, I underwent liver surgery. We are in the fourth week of recovery after they successfully removed a liver tumor, and they estimated that it would take four to six weeks. Naturally, this would affect the cruise schedule, so we just wanted to give you advance notice that we will not be going on the cruise and sincerely apologize for that. We think that everyone may benefit from taking a cruise to a warm, tropical location to start the year.
He went on, “I feel strong.” Even though I’m a little uncomfortable—it’s really difficult to hold a guitar up to my body—I’m not sure if I can sing because there’s one thing you can do to get better, but you also need to be in good performing shape, and I’m not even close to that—at least not to the point where it’s a performance worth discussing or writing about. In a late-June Instagram video, Malo revealed his diagnosis.
“We have been on a health kick out here on the road for the past couple of years,” he remarked. taking a little more care of ourselves. taking a little more care of ourselves and making a concerted effort to follow all the proper guidelines for diet, etc. Therefore, getting checked out is a part of the health journey. See a physician, have a physical, and begin there.
That’s what he did, Malo said.
According to him, that resulted in a CAT scan during a follow-up consultation with a gastrointestinal specialist. And it turned out to have two malignant areas.