Country icons honoring beloved singer with cancer with 2-night celebration at the Ryman

As Raul Malo continues to battle stage 4 cancer his bandmates and the country music world are rallying around him with a planned two-night celebration of his 35 years in music.

The band shared the news on its Instagram page on Wednesday.

“We’re proud to announce the Dance The Night Away: A 35-year Musical Legacy Celebrating The Mavericks & Honoring Raul Malo, December 5-6 at (Ryman) Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee,” the statement read. “A 2-night tribute show in honor of Raul and the band’s decades-long history and contributions to American and Latin music, these special evenings will feature guest appearances from an exceptional lineup of friends and artists performing selections from The Mavericks’ storied catalog of classics.”

The band shared a long list of performers who are slated to take part including Jamy Johnson, Marty Stuart, Steve Earle, Chuck Mead, Cimafunk, Emily West, Hector Tellez Jr., Jaime Hana, JD McPherson, James Otto, Jim Lauderdale, Jese Dayton, Jimmie Vaughan, Joshua Ray Walker, Maggie Rose, Mandy Barnett, Nicole Atkins, Waylon Payne, Sweet Lizzy Project, Wade Hayes, Seth Walker, Nikkie Lane, Patty Griffin and Ray Benson.

“While Raul is not able to perform, he will be present and honored throughout both nights,” the statement added. “These shows will take the place of our previously scheduled Ryman dates, with all tickets to remain valid and no new tickets necessary. We look forward to seeing you all in December for a celebration of music, memories, and the remarkable legacy of Raul Malo and the Mavericks.”

“I’m really looking forward to these two nights at the Ryman,” Malo said according to Taste of Country. “The overwhelming support and love from my musician friends, fans, friends and family will prove these shows to be something special.”

Malo has long shared his cancer battle with fans, but in September he announced he also has Leptomeningeal Disease.

“Dear Friends, I want to update you all on my health, as things have taken a turn,” he wrote on Facebook. “As it goes with cancer, it’s a very unpredictable and indiscriminatory disease. I’ve developed something called LMD, which stands for ‘get this (expletive) out of my head.’ Treatment for this is radiation, which I will start tomorrow. We will probably jump into some chemo and are even looking at alternative therapies. But it’s time to take to heart your words of resting & recovering, so that’s what I’m going to do.

“Unfortunately, this does mean all shows going forward are cancelled, but we’ll continue doing cool projects, releasing live recordings, merchandise, Trovador and so forth,” he continued. “I want to thank Dwight Yoakam, his band, and crew for their kindness and understanding this year, and sorry we couldn’t finish the tour the way we planned. Hang on to your tickets for the Ryman in December, as we are planning something special there, and hope to announce that very soon.”

Malo then reassured fans about how he is doing.

“But I want to let everybody know, I am in no way alone, or scared,” he said. “I have an amazing wife and boys, wonderful family, team, road crew, band, friends and fans. I don’t even have enough words to describe the love and support that I’m getting right now. To my friends who have sent me texts and messages, I want you to know that I’ve read them all. I can’t return them all, but your love, prayers, and well wishes have not gone unnoticed.

“We don’t know what this will look like a couple months from now, but we are going into it like we have with everything else,” Malo continued. “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 not 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.”