Review: Dwight Yoakam, the Mavericks triumph with country music for adults

Waite Park, Minn. — Has Dwight Yoakam ever been so talkative in Minnesota? Have the Mavericks ever played such a short set in the Gopher State?

On Saturday night at the Ledge Amphitheater, these two veteran country acts — Yoakam had a nice run in the ‘80s and early ‘90s and the Mavericks had modest success in the ‘90s — teamed up for a terrifically rewarding evening of country and Americana music for adults.

Amid his 26 songs in 95 minutes, Yoakam spun two long yarns. One was about how a scene in the movie “The Fabulous Baker Boys” — which he described in vivid detail — inspired the opening of his classic-country ballad, “The Heart That You Own.”

The other epic tale involved his buddy Billy Bob Thornton taking three trips through Minnesota and getting blinded by bright white lights from an inexplicable source. The meandering fable introduced 1993′s “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere.”

In both cases, the songs were superior to the long-winded stories, but it was easy to appreciate Yoakam’s chattiness, good mood and knowledge of Minnesota geography and highways.

Highlights of the 67-year-old’s generous set included the Dylanesque “Ain’t That Lonely,” the Orbison-evoking “Fast as You,” the cowpunk throwback “Liar,” the jaunty “It Only Hurts When I Cry” and, of course, Yoakam’s distinctive dancing (a slow-motion twist) in his tight blue jeans. Shout out to MVP sideman Jamison Hollister, who played keyboards, fiddle, harmonica and pedal steel guitar.

Unaccustomed to being an opening act, the Mavericks earned a standing ovation from the crowd of 4,000 for its too-brief 65-minute performance. Among the 11 tunes were two — “The Years Will Not Be Kind” (lyrics by Bernie Taupin) and “The Name of the Game” (with a noisy trumpet and saxophone passage) — from “Moon & Stars,” which was released in May, though frontman Raul Malo didn’t plug the band’s 13th record.

The deliciously genre-blending Mavericks sparkled on such favorites as the spirited, Latin-tinged “Come Unto Me,” the hard-swinging “As Long As There’s Loving Tonight” and the closing, festive-despite-its-message “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” during which the usually bravura Malo, 59, who battled cancer in June, faded a bit vocally.

The Cosmic Roundup & Rodeo Tour featuring Yoakam, the Mavericks and Drayton Farley lands tonight at Bluestem Amphitheater in Moorhead, Minn.