Santana

I was lucky enough to be at Live Aid in 1985 and when Santana came on stage it was just ELECTRIFYING.

The crowd erupted and the atmosphere exploded. They just exude energy and the music just picks you up and takes you away. Carlos Santana has such a unique voice it’s velvety and soft and raw and harsh all at the same time.

I was there with a group of friends and they all agreed the whole concert was amazing but for me Santana was the star of the show. Although I was already a fan, this was the first time I’d seen them live, I’ve seen them since but Live Aid was they’re best performance in my opinion.

I love Graham Lear on the drums, he’s just incredible and the beat was all consuming but Michael Shrieve runs a close second on my favorite drummer. I’ve collected all their albums and consider myself a lifelong fan.

Although the lineup has changed over the years they’ve managed to produce consistently excellent music and over a period of over 40 years that is no mean feat. I’ll bet not many of the current bands will be around in 10 years never mind 40. I’ve seen many bands live but Santana still tops my list for their enthusiasm, energy and just plain incredible sound.

Good concert but not what it was bill as ...

This was touted as a reunion concern of the original members, but Gregg Rolie (keyboards/vocals) and Michael Shrieve (drums) were missing, and Neal Schon (guitar ... Journey founder) might as well not been on stage given his minimal opportunity to contribute.

Opened with the Supernatural songs, moved to classic 70's, then went into a sermon about peace/love/understanding, then asked the crowd to indulge them in 30mins of experimenting. This turned out to be a medley of odd cover songs that made little sense and lost the audience. They closed wth some more Supernatural songs and encored with 70's songs ... I guess he's trying to appeal to everyone???

In summary, the sound mix was spot-on one of the best I've every experienced. The concert seemed to be about Carlos pitching a tribute to himself to make sure everyone knew what he's accomplished and his place in the world. Oh yea ... he made sure everyone knew it was his wife playing drums to add to the lore, though she's very accomplished at the craft.

It started off great with Santana jamming on his guitar. I was expecting a great show! Listened the whole Moonflower Album on the drive there.
He played Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, two good songs but I thought this was just to please the concert goers that know nothing about Santana other than what is overplayed on the radio. He then got into a set of classic Salsa songs which I liked, but could see with any Salsa Band. I thought he was just warming up for a great finally. Unfortunately this concert was like a 4th of July Fireworks display with no Grand Finale. The concert just sort of ended with a couple of "Rap" performances and a couple even more overplayed songs like Smooth, which I personally hope to never hear again. And what's with the Rap lyrics? Really??? There was not a single person in the crowd that wanted to hear it. Was he trying to be "relevant"? When I went to see the Eagles, Joe Walsh did not "Rap" Life's been Good!
C- at best...

Santana is a living legend. Ever since 1977 which was the first time I saw him in concert at the Shrine in LA, Journey opened up for him and just blew me out of the water. Shortly after was Cal Jam Two in Ontario Canada, it was a kick-ass music fest and since I've been to over one hundred Sanatana shows! One of the best gigs ever was in 1992 in Tijuana at the Bull Ring. He never dissapoints me, with Carlos it's more than music, it's a vibe and a message that transcends through the sounds. It's always a great time: he preaches truth and leaves you with a great feeling that it's all about peace, love, joy, being kind to one another... Make somebody happy, be the best person you can be. I recommend to anybody and everybody to experience a Sanatana show as soon as possible. I can assure you it won't be your last!

I must say, when Carlos played his first chord, I was in tears and had goosebumps up and down my arms
I hadn’t seen Carlos since Woodstock, 50 years ago
Carlos is very soft spoken and his words generated a warm feeling about treating others with love and respect
We need to save our planet and Carlos is spreading the word
His charities speak for themselves
His videos of his peace work and giving back, were shown on the background screens
His wife is one of the best drummers I have seen
Soooo much energy, I couldn’t keep up
LOL
His son also played the keyboards
A family who plays music together is WONDERFUL THING
I’m a disabled senior and I didn’t sit down all during the show
I’m paying for it today
I’m not 19 anymore
LOL

The music is always great in a Santana show you'll get the songs that you just can't help yourself, you gotta dance to Jingo (African beat) and many of the Latin songs, the classics like Black Magic Woman and then you get the soft and soulful songs like Europa ... There's always a lot of positive and uplifting talk from Carlos and in this occasion he mentioned that he and the current San Francisco lady mayor went to high school together ... quite a class I would say ... it was a blast on Smooth where they blew some confetti cannons and we were all on our feet dancing and smiling as the confetti rained ... Epic!
Showed love to War band that opened earlier and brought them in a couple times and sang why can't we be friends together ...

I've been fortunate enough to have seen Santana a few times but I particularly remember my first time at the Glastonbury Festival in the late 70s. I was hooked forever!

The last time I saw them was here at the House of Blues, Las Vegas. They were, of course, brilliant both times but I suppose because it was the most recent I loved the Vegas show. It brought back amazing memories and created some new ones. The atmosphere here is awesome and being a Vegas resident I luv to see shows in smaller venues, it's so much more intimate. Carlos Santana's guitar playing was second to none as always!

Hoping to go again very soon.

a great show! seeing Santana and the feeling of the whole band playing together live on stage was incredible. especially those parts of the show where only one of the band members were playing (like solo parts) were awesome, almost like one big "jam session" you could say. one thing that wasn't that good was that whenever the singers started singing, their voices were a bit too loud in my opinion, you couldn't hear the band that well (but great singers though). didn't see anyone who wasn`t into the rhythm parts. I would recommend everyone to go see Santana live. enjoyed it very much!

Santana now looks as Charles Bronson.
He had 10 men crew with him and each of them had chance for at least one solo.
They promised that concert will last until 22.30 exactly, but they produced much more.
It was three hours of solo escapades.
I came to hear two songs and to experience the guitarist live. Efficient organization. Several thousands of visitors could enter and leave Ziggo Dome in a few minutes. Santana is still in great shape. He loves his collaborators and they respect him.
I will remember this gig.

How SMOOTH can TEQUILA get? A Santana show is like taking a memory train from your youth to now. He plays the older songs which bring great memories and then launches you to the present and future with the new songs. Carlos is a true American treasure. To add to the evenings magic was enjoying his son Salvador with his great band. You heard it here first... Alex Nester has an amazing voice. I just can't imagine how this young lady's talent can grow any more. Should you go see Santana? With all of your CORAZON.