Review by Shawn Perry
Live photos by Paul Hebert
After the overwhelming success of Supernatural in 1999, the unique history of Santana as a band and its founding namesake nearly took a backseat to the guitarist’s numerous Grammy Awards and new alliances with the flavors of the day. Fortunately, yearnings for nostalgia and the fact that Carlos Santana and the musicians in his band are more than servants to great pop songs who have aligned with an unrivaled legacy. Santana embraced it all and then some during a stop at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, just south of Nashville, as part of their 15-date Blessings And Miracles tour.
Before coming to the stage, the crowd was dosed with 20 minutes of refinement ala Ravel’s “Bolero” paired with visual auroras splashed around the venue’s LED displays. No one was really quite sure what to expect next. Then the LEDS started showing images of Nelson Mandela, fireworks on Y2K, and Woodstock — where Santana first broke through to public consciousness. And with that, the man and his band arrived and started to build “Soul Sacrifice,” the song that introduced Santana to the world. Behind the rumble of percussion that hangs on to a simple chord pattern, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and percussionists Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejías set the night’s pace with a rhythmic punch bowl that had every row in the house jiggling and shaking.
A cavalcade of every essential Santana track from the early days came tumbling out — “Jingo” and “Evil Ways” from 1969’s self-titled debut album; “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Como Va” and “Samba Pa Ti” from 1970’s Abraxas; and “Everybody’s Everything” from 1971’s Santana III. In 2016, Carlos Santana reunited with several of the players who were part of the original Santana band for an album and tour. While their presence would have lent a certain air of authenticity to tonight’s performances, the members of Santana’s current band were certainly no slouches when it came to delivering the goods.
Singer Andy Vargas has a solid handle on the vocals, with help from second guitarist Tommy Anthony. Vargas was especially strong on “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” which Santana recently covered with Steve Winwood — and the first of three numbers played on this evening to be featured on the new album (releasing October 15), Blessings And Miracles. David K Mathews’ organ and Benny Rietveld bass were fit for framing the Procol Harum classic as Santana made his Les Paul scream and howl at the breaks. They followed with a sprite “She’s Not There,” another cover that became a Top 40 hit for Santana in 1977.
In between songs, Santana breezily spoke to the audience about spiritual matters and positive vibes. “Grace is all around,” he remarked at one point, adding a few “far outs” and “dudes” along the way to keep the banter light and friendly. He seemed to appreciate the venue (“such a beautiful place”) and his drumming wife (“beautiful energy”). For the rest of the night, he let his guitar do the talking.
Santana also delights in sharing the focus with the rest of his band. Tommy Anthony led the charge on “Put Your Lights On,” prompting everyone to turn on their phone’s flashlight. Without warning, the entire ensemble started singing “Happy Birthday,” and out came a cake, flowers and a gift bag for Andy Vargas. Cindy Blackman Santana nearly stole the show with her breakneck, barrel-rolling drum solo.
No one was going to let Santana leave town unless he played certain songs, and he wasn’t about to disappoint. There was “Europa,” a tour de force of the man’s mastery of the guitar. He saved his biggest hit “Smooth” and loaded it into a lengthy encore that included a couple of Chamber Brothers songs (“Are You Ready” and “Love, Peace And Happiness”) and the Youngbloods’ “Get Together,” which concluded the two-hour-plus show on a high and bright note.
When you consider the decades in which Santana has endured and often rolled with the ever-changing tide of tastes and trends, it’s impressive how tonight’s setlist seamlessly glided from the maniacal depths of the 70s right on through to material still baking in the oven, just about ready for prime time. The thread that holds it all together is Carlos Santana. Is he a product of the Woodstock Nation? An enigmatic and seemingly patient bandleader? A willing collaborator to a wide swath of musicians, singers, and songwriters? A grounded and centered individual who’s at peace with himself and the world around him? All of the above? In a nutshell, Carlos Santana embodies everything that’s magical and healing about the music we love. At least that’s what it felt like on this fall night in the middle of Tennessee.
