‘They were raising major hell.’ Fans asked for it, and that’s why Maná is back in Fresno

When Maná first announced the Rayando El Sol tour at the beginning, the band was operating in somewhat uncharted territory.

Sure, Maná is the top-drawing Spanish-language rock band in the U.S., with 30-plus years experience out on the road. But the band hadn’t been on the road in three years and this would be its first time touring without the benefit of a new album.

“We didn’t know how people were going to react,” says drummer Alex González, speaking over the phone in advance of Maná’s stop at the Save Mart Center on Thursday, Dec. 5.

They reacted well as it turns out and the band quickly extended the tour to additional cities, including Fresno. Maná booked four nights at the Forum in Inglewood — and then booked another three nights, setting a record for most nights played at the venue in a single year.

Fresno will be the second-to-last night of the tour.

Originally, the band didn’t announce a date for Fresno, González says. It was on the list of places the group wanted to hit, but the details hadn’t been completely worked out in time for the original announcement.

“We heard it from the fans in Fresno,” he says.

“They were raising major hell.”

Fans can expect the kind of concert Maná has made its name on — all of the hits, played on one of three stages set up around the arena. This ensures that everybody has the ability to see the band up close, Gonzále says.

Those looking for a new studio album from the band will have to wait until 2021, González says. The follow-up to 2015’s “Cama Incendiada” was in the works but put on hold so the band could do a series of singles in which contemporary Latin artists like Pablo Alborán, Sebastian Yatra, Nicky Jam reinterpret classic Maná tunes.

Alborán helped the band rework “Rayando El Sol,” which is the tour’s namesake and a song that González says is solely responsible for Maná’s success. It was the band’s first real hit, thanks to hordes of fans who would call radio stations and demand the song get played.

“That song,” González says, “literally saved the band’s career.”

Details: 8 p.m. Dec. 5. Save Mart Center. $39.50-$229.50. 559-278-3400, www.ticketmaster.com

Other noteworthy events

▪ Steve Trevino. 8 p.m. Friday. Tower Theatre, 815 E. Olive Ave. $34.50-$44.50. 559-485-9050, www.towertheatrefresno.com

▪ Los Inquietos del Norte. 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Fresno Convention Center, 848 M St. $55-$125 VIP. 559-445-8100, www.ticketmaster.com

▪ Stage Works Fresno, Final Cabaret Night. 5 p.m. Sunday. Mercedes Edwards Theatre, 902 5th St., Clovis. $50. 559-289-6622, www.stageworksfresno.com

▪ 1969: the Concert. 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Fulton 55, 875 E. Divisadero Ave. $15-$20. 559-412-7400, fulton55.com

▪ The Beach Boys. 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5. Visalia Fox Theatre, 300 W. Main St., Visalia. $59-$99. 559-625-1369, foxvisalia.org