Carlos Santana: Live on a night with the sky graced by comets

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Carlos Santana brought his 11-member entourage to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where he blessed the crowd beneath streaming comet fragments that creased the night in the northern sky high above the outdoor lawn.

Carlos Santana was born in Mexico 55 years ago, the son of a mariachi violinist. With the current incarnation of his namesake band, he performed a two-hour-plus show that mixed the old, the new, and a glimpse of the forthcoming.

Looking comfortable in a loose-fitting, all-black ensemble, Santana talked some, and sang little, but commanded center stage with his distinctive six-string style.

He occasionally stroked flamenco riffs from an acoustic guitar, but it is the wrenching of tortured notes from his electronic machine for which he has been most recognized in the past 30 years. And it was in this, with the accompaniment of his delightfully capable infectious groove ensemble, that Santana delivered the goods.

The crowd was treated to recent hits from the 1999 blockbuster “Supernatural,”
including the songs “Maria, Maria,” “Smooth,” and “Put Your Lights On.”
Classic riffs were embedded as well: Snippets from “Paint it Black” and “Blowin’ in the Wind” were mixed in for those who listened closely, and verbal praise was delivered for musicians Miles Davis, Bob Marley and John Coltrane.

Santana’s guitar wailed smooth and introspective. His solos climbed, sang, and at times shrieked -- each like a short story, riddled with tension seeking the point of resolution -- finally and conclusively, hitting their target.
The band members shone individually as well. There were extended solos for drummer
Dennis Chambers and bassist Benny Rietveld - as well as a night-long showcase of the two main vocalists, Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay, and keyboard player Chester Thompson.
A trio of percussionists hammered out the beat throughout - high on a drum riser, joined by a rhythm guitarist and a pair of horn players.

At times, when the show seemed to drag, the energy was quickly brought back with Latin-inspired poly-rhythms that seared and soared and set the mixed-age crowd to dancing. From the young to the old, no one was spared.

“You are the living dream,” Santana told the crowd. “All is one - beauty, elegance, dignity,
grace - we are all those things. There is so much anger on this planet, there is so much fear,”
he continued.
“To all those who have suffered abuse: I want you to look at yourself, to look at your face
in the mirror, and I want you to say ‘I am beautiful.’ I want you to say ‘I am pure.”‘

-- due to be released in mid-October -- is titled and will feature a cast of collaborators including Rob Thomas, Placido Domingo and P.O.D.
The show previewed a few tunes from his upcoming album , “Shaman.”
Most notable were the sharp staccato horns and pounding skins, rollicking maracas and joyful call-and-response of “Fu Fu,” and the snappy percussive driven “Aye, Aye, Aye” with a guitar that is pure and vintage Carlos.

The most powerful experience of the evening came at the very end with the combined sonic attack of “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen,” and the rattling rhythmic assault of “Oye Como Va,” as a dove of peace flew on the big screen overhead.

“For your family, for my family,” Santana spoke, hands clasped in front of his body, “angels all around us right now.”
Then he flashed a peace sign, bowed humbly to the audience and sped off like a comet in the night.

by Thomas Dimopoulos
published in The Saratogian, Aug. 13, 2002