photo: W Dallian
Rogers Arena lit up last Saturday night with the legendary Carlos Santana.
Santana played a stellar line-up of music spiced with classic hits like Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, as vintage footage and slides from his Amigos days played on the big screen in the background.
He has a show-stopping group of musicians this tour that include Benny Rietveld on bass, Tony Lindsay and Andy Vargas on vocals, Raul Rekow on congas, Karl Perazzo on percussion and the amazing Dennis Chambers on drums to list a few.
They moved through the music making it look effortless and Santana, dressed from fedora to shoes in crisp white, presented a godly figure to the hundreds of worshipers that followed his every move. He seemed to glide to the front of the stage, and at one point there was an audible hush from the front rows as they stood mesmerized at his dazzling fluidity and agility.
He tilted his fedora just a little to reveal his handsome face: time has certainly been as kind to him physically as it has musically.
He has a show-stopping group of musicians this tour that include Benny Rietveld on bass, Tony Lindsay and Andy Vargas on vocals, Raul Rekow on congas, Karl Perazzo on percussion and the amazing Dennis Chambers on drums to list a few.
They moved through the music making it look effortless and Santana, dressed from fedora to shoes in crisp white, presented a godly figure to the hundreds of worshipers that followed his every move. He seemed to glide to the front of the stage, and at one point there was an audible hush from the front rows as they stood mesmerized at his dazzling fluidity and agility.
He tilted his fedora just a little to reveal his handsome face: time has certainly been as kind to him physically as it has musically.
photo: W Dallian
Vintage footage later took us through the 80s and Vargas and Rekow wowed us with the beautiful Corazon Espinado.
Rietveld then treated us to a jaw dropping bass solo that morphed into an incredible drum solo by Chambers: both performances knocked the lid off the arena and the audience out of their seats.
More hits like Jin-go-lo-ba, two short and fabulous conga solos, then the mind-crushingly beautiful Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile). Santana certainly knows how to wow a crowd.
Santana took time to speak to the crowd throughout the show delivering snippets of insight and kindness uttering phrases like, “we validate you” and “you are significant and can make a difference in the world.”
The band began to chant “you are light and love,” then went into their version of Eric Clapton's You are the Sunshine of My Life and finishing their show with Smooth.
A short wait for the three piece encore that began with a compilation of songs then slowed down as a small dove appeared on the screen behind the band, moving back and forth, increasing in size until it popped out of the screen into a huge hologram spanning the width of the stage and eventually settling over an image of Santana in his white suit which in turn morphed into the man himself: brilliant.
The band then went into, Into the Night then another compilation of songs culminating in their third encore song, a gospel inspired version of Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.
The concert ended with Santana offering “peace and love” and the band singing, “all my love, peace and happiness”
Santana had said at the beginning of the concert that, “the most profound prayer is to say, 'thank you'”
well Carlos Santana, this prayer is for you, thank you, thank you so very much.
If you've never seen Carlos Santana in concert it'd be really worth finding out where he's playing next: at the very least, go out and get his album Amigos and listen to it with your friends.
Rietveld then treated us to a jaw dropping bass solo that morphed into an incredible drum solo by Chambers: both performances knocked the lid off the arena and the audience out of their seats.
More hits like Jin-go-lo-ba, two short and fabulous conga solos, then the mind-crushingly beautiful Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile). Santana certainly knows how to wow a crowd.
Santana took time to speak to the crowd throughout the show delivering snippets of insight and kindness uttering phrases like, “we validate you” and “you are significant and can make a difference in the world.”
The band began to chant “you are light and love,” then went into their version of Eric Clapton's You are the Sunshine of My Life and finishing their show with Smooth.
A short wait for the three piece encore that began with a compilation of songs then slowed down as a small dove appeared on the screen behind the band, moving back and forth, increasing in size until it popped out of the screen into a huge hologram spanning the width of the stage and eventually settling over an image of Santana in his white suit which in turn morphed into the man himself: brilliant.
The band then went into, Into the Night then another compilation of songs culminating in their third encore song, a gospel inspired version of Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll.
The concert ended with Santana offering “peace and love” and the band singing, “all my love, peace and happiness”
Santana had said at the beginning of the concert that, “the most profound prayer is to say, 'thank you'”
well Carlos Santana, this prayer is for you, thank you, thank you so very much.
If you've never seen Carlos Santana in concert it'd be really worth finding out where he's playing next: at the very least, go out and get his album Amigos and listen to it with your friends.
photo: W Dallian
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