U of A, welcome back! Let's party 🪩

It’s 11 p.m. on a late July Wednesday, and The Maverick King of Clubs is packed with twentysomethings, many of them dressed in their faux-cowboy finery: flannel shirts, Daisy Dukes and cowboy boots and hats.

A throng of young people stacks two and three deep at the bar waiting to order dollar draft beers and $3 well drinks as the DJ lights up the dance floor with chart-topping hip-hop-infused country hits from Morgan Wallen, Walker Hayes and Beyoncé.

Welcome to Wildcat Wednesdays, the one night a week that Tucson’s legendary country music nightclub invites college-age revelers to live their 21st-century version of “Urban Cowboy.”

But while many may look like their parents’ generation when it comes to the ‘fit, the vibe and the high-octane music lean more countrified “Footloose.”

Drink specials lure them in, but it’s the opportunity to get their country on that keeps them coming back week after week, said longtime General Manager Karen Markovich.

“We have a lot of girls that come here and it gives them a chance to dress up in that look with their cowboy hats and their white boots,” she said.

Maverick bartender Briana Strevay said Wildcat Wednesdays are big with the younger crowd largely because “the price point is really good for them.”

“Our drink prices are way more affordable, and that’s what college kids are looking for, is to get drunk for as little (money) as you can,” Strevay said.

Markovich said The Maverick launched Wildcat Wednesdays two or three years ago, following the lead of country bars nationwide that have dedicated college theme nights. But while some bars limit the theme nights to the school year, The Maverick keeps it’s going year-round.

Even in the summertime, Wildcat Wednesdays bring a crowd of young people to the rust-red wooden building at 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road that the club has called home for 23 of its 63 years.

“It has that homey feel where everybody knows the bartenders and the bartenders know them,” said 23-year-old Tucson native Jordan Pacheco, a Maverick regular since she turned 21.

She feels a familial connection to The Maverick, where her parents met around 1996, she said.

The couple married in 1999.

“For some of us, this is the way we grew up,” Pacheco said, “but (country) is also a fad with our generation right now.”

Fad or not, the young people turning up on Wednesday nights are grabbing a White Claw or High Noon and hitting the dance floor, boot-scootin’ in formation to nearly every song, Markovich said.

“They love line dancing, and it’s amazing to me that they’ll play one song and everybody on the dance floor knows how to dance to that one line dance with that song,” Markovich said. “And then (the DJ) will play another song and there’ll be a totally different line dance and everybody knows it.”

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During the school year, the crowd leans more California cool — a sea of blonde-haired women in white cowboy boots and wannabe cowboys in jeans, boots and worn ball caps.

In the summertime, the crowd is all local, including some real-deal working cowboys from Tucson’s rural pockets.

“It’s just this thing that’s taken off and it’s just fun,” Markovich said. “Every Wednesday, we have a photographer that comes out and takes photos and we post them on social media.”

Markovich said Wildcat Wednesdays during the summertime are not as busy as the school year, but they still attract crowds.

“We tend to stay strong even in the summer because (with) the college students being gone, all the bars downtown are much slower,” Markovich explained. “For some reason, everybody comes over here in the summer.”

“There’s just something about The Maverick you’re never going to get anywhere else,” Stevay said.

Which could explain why Isabelle DeSimone, 28, drives in from Sierra Vista.

DeSimone, who loves dancing, experienced her first Wildcat Wednesdays last March and found a space where she could express herself. She said the thing that’s kept her coming back is the mixed-aged crowd that has a similar passion.

“I drive an hour and 20 minutes to get here and I would say I come here three to four times a month, but it’s getting more frequent,” DeSimone said. “I enjoy the fusion of country with other music genres. I want to be able to actually dance to music, so Teddy Swims and Jordan Davis and a lot of these newer country artists are who I prefer.”

Marana resident Christian Skydell, also known as DJ Bokchoy, said the Maverick is his go-to bar.

“You walk in and it’s not like you’re a nobody; they treat you like family,” Skydell said. “Derek, who runs the place, is hands down the best and it’s just got this very human feel. It’s a $40 Uber ride each way. I can take a $4 Uber to (the Marana country bar) Whiskey Roads, but I’d rather come here.”

The Maverick is the only country bar in Tucson that offers a dedicated college night, but two others are also popular with the college crowd.

• Whiskey Roads at 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd. in the former Foothills Mall is Tucson’s biggest country nightclub and restaurant. The 15,000-square-foot club that originally opened in a smaller space across the street in 2019 has $4 you call cocktails and domestic beer along with karaoke on Thursday nights. Details at whiskeyroadstucson.com.
• On most nights, Cowpony Bar at 6510 E. Tanque Verde Road hosts live music, but on Saturday nights, DJ RecklessRod is known to bring the party; one employee described it as legendary. Cowpony Bar is Tucson’s oldest country dive bar and oldest country bar; it opened in 1952, 11 years before The Maverick. Details at cowponybar.com.

If country music isn’t your thing, we found a few bars outside the usual college suspects on North Fourth and University Boulevard that are worth a night on the town.

• Sky Bar at 536 N. Fourth Ave. shakes things up on Thursdays with its theme nights. DJ KO will spin tunes to match the weekly theme starting at 7 p.m. every Thursday. There’s no cover and drinks are two-for-one; skybartucson.com.
• Nothing gets the party started like some Bad Bunny. The Nugget at 2617 N. First Ave. hosts reggaeton nights from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays, when you can dance the night away to your favorite reggaeton artists like Rauw Alejandro or Daddy Yankee. They also have deals on tequila and Mexican beers; facebook.com/thenuggettucsonaz.
• Closer to the UA, Agave House, 943 E. University Blvd., is bringing back its popular Friday night Latin Night starting on Aug. 22. You can sing along to Bad Bunny while sipping a giant margarita with your friends; agavehousetucson.com.
• At downtown’s hyper-hip rooftop bar Playground, 278 E. Congress St., DJ Impeccable and DJ God Body Ra man the turntables from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays, playing R&B hits while you drink cocktails and eat food curated by the Hub; hubdowntown.com/playground-rooftop.
• The Jackrabbit Lounge at 2000 N. Oracle Road is a retro cocktail lounge offering live music on Friday and Saturday nights, featuring a wide array of genres from jazz to bluegrass and covers of ‘80s and ‘90s hits. Check out their monthly variety show, and enjoy drag and burlesque performances, live music, comedy, and even juggling acts. Or, put on your best ‘70s ‘fit and dance all night at their disco parties. Stop by on Thursday Karaoke nights for $5 well drinks, as well as $5 green tea, white tea, and jello shots. thejackrabbitlounge.com.
• Hotel Congress keeps the good vibes going all weekend with live music shows and DJ dance parties. The iconic downtown venue at 311 E Congress St. kicks things off with “Tempo” every Thursday night on the plaza. Experience the eclectic and experimental sounds of DJ Walters The Don. Up and coming DJs are encouraged to show off their stuff. If you’re a fan of house and R&B beats, Fridays are “Nightshade” on the Plaza. Led by Mother Tierra, you can get down to house, hip hop and current hits. Saturdays are stacked with music and parties. 10 p.m. — 2 a.m. is “Late Night” on the plaza, and Sounds by Posi is spinning popular hits and reggaeton tunes. Inside, in Club Congress, you’ll find “Phenomena” with DJ Walters The Don, an experimental mix of house and pop that has something everyone can dance to. For refreshment specials, you can sip on a $3 PBR, a $4 Truly, or a $5 Mexican candy shot. hotelcongress.com.
• Turn back time with throwback hits at the Surly Wench Pub, 424 N. Fourth Ave. Fridays and Saturdays are DJ dance nights, with themed goth nights, ‘90s nostalgia, and ‘80s favorites. Don’t miss their monthly burlesque show, or their “Creepy Tiki” Sundays, complete with classic monster movies; surlywenchpub.com.