

The same could be said for Vargas during his rendition of Maria Maria which to this day is still one of Santana’s biggest hits from the late-’90s.Ĭarlos Santana never had the appearance of needing a break throughout the night, only taking moments to take a sip or refresh his gum. A song that when recorded featured the gravelly vocals of Everlast was softened around the edges but still had the that palpable crunch. Vocalists Andy Vargas, Ray Greene, and Tommy Anthony took their turn filling in in their own way for the featured artists from Santana’s bigger radio hits.Īnthony, who is also guitarist with the band took on Put Your Lights On. It was in these moments that his all-star backing band really shone. It included a mix of his classic and modern singles, with snippets of other songs like Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, The Specials’ Ghost Town and the James Bond theme.

With the weirdness aside, Santana quickly returned to what we were there: for music. Santana was clearly preaching to the wrong crowd as we all had to show record of vaccination and most were wearing masks during the concert. Obviously in reference to Clapton’s anti-vaxx sentiments in recent years.

At one point saying he’s has had a rough time recently and we should forgive. Several times throughout the evening he would return to chat with the crowd about his “brother” Eric Clapton. This is nothing new for fans of Santana he has done this at most of his shows over the last few decades, but it was when he mentioned it was Eric Clapton’s birthday that things took a bizarre turn. Having always been a spiritual person, he took surviving some late 2021 heart issues as divine intervention and gave an almost evangelistic talk to the audience about it. To Carlos Santana, the Blessings & Miracles tour had taken on a deeper meaning. It would seem like everyone was going to be on their feet grooving along all night long. The set was frontloaded with Soul Sacrifice, Jingo, Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman, Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va and Samba Pa Ti. What would follow would be a collection of Santana’s biggest hits from the ’60s and ’70s, seamlessly weaving from song to song. Meanwhile, the man of the hour snuck out of the shadows, strapped on his guitar, hit the first note, and the nearly sold-out venue erupted into cheers. The light dimmed to almost pure darkness, and a montage of Woodstock footage filled the video screen, setting the stage for the evening. The unmistakable scent of incense filled the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre as the crowd anxiously awaited guitar legend Carlos Santana and his band.
