The Marías Play a Sold-Out Show for Devoted Houston Fans
Hours before doors were set to open, fans lined up outside 713 Music Hall for the chance to be front row for The Marías. The show, which was the third Texas appearance on their Submarine World tour, was completely sold out — and it was not hard to tell. Even as the opener began to perform, hundreds of fans were still lining up to enter the venue. By the time the lights dimmed and the intro to “Hamptons" started playing, fans filled the venue from wall to wall, creating an ocean in front of the stage.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
The Marías, a bilingual indie band named after their lead singer María Zardoya, are no strangers to the city of Houston. However, their first show in the city was at Satellite Bar, a smaller venue with a capacity of 250 people. Going from that to selling out a venue with a capacity of 5,000 people in just five years is a testament to how much of an impact they left on Houston fans. It’s no surprise then that one of the first things they said to the audience was how much they loved playing shows in Texas.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
Even before the band hit the stage, fans were treated to a preview of what was to come, with the stage lights putting on a show as the members waited to take their places. Fans were given plenty of unexpected surprises as the show went on with different set pieces taking on different roles and the lights changing colors to reflect the mood of each song. A circle, sometimes resembling a moon, stood behind the band and served many different purposes throughout the show, including highlighting certain members and creating the illusion of a shadow of María.
One of the band’s strong suits is their unique sound. It’s very clear that their music is created with a lot of different influences that could clash if done badly, but work very well for them. Something that really stood out was the band’s use of a trumpet in some of their songs. While not usually synonymous with indie music, it never felt out of place or gimmicky, instead giving those songs a unique charm.
Similarly, María is a one-of-a-kind performer. It’s rare for a singer with a soft, silky tone to also be a powerhouse vocalist, but that is the only way to describe her. In a band where every instrumentalist is giving their all, it’s very easy for a vocalist to get overpowered, but María’s voice demands attention. When she’s not singing, she’s dancing around the stage, looking fans directly in the eye, or smiling to the crowd. No matter what she’s doing, she makes it impossible for fans to take their eyes off her.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
Part of the band’s appeal is their use of the Spanish language, with songs like “Ay No Pudeo” and “Lejos de Ti” being entirely in Spanish and songs like “Cariño” having a mixture of Spanish and English. María even spoke to the audience in Spanish, shouting out all the Latino fans in the audience, starting with her home country of Puerto Rico and ending with Mexico, which gained the loudest cheers from fans.
It was clear the band put a lot of thought into the tour’s setlist. While the band played the majority of their new album, Submarine, they also added songs that they felt a personal connection to. María mentioned that “Otro Atardecer” was special to her because it was a collaboration with fellow Puerto Rican artist, Bad Bunny. Starting in Dallas, they added “Heavy” to the setlist because a fan started a petition to get it on there.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
Towards the end of the band’s last song before the encore,"Paranoia,” all of them stopped playing their instruments and listened to fans scream for what felt like three minutes straight before jumping back into the song. The energy was electric and members of the band hadn’t left the stage yet when fans started screaming for an encore.
The encore started with María singing “If Only” from a bathtub in the circle behind the stage and ended with her singing “Cariño” directly to fans. The closing song felt like a love letter to everyone in the audience, and they felt it, singing the last chorus for María before she ended the song.