The recent stop by legendary guitarist Carlos Santana and his band in Austin on July 9th at the Austin360 Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas raceway with support from none other than The Doobie Brothers was perhaps to remind us that legacy acts often get the short straw from music critics. Yet, the reality is that artists like Santana have been steadily performing live for decades, honing their craft into a precision-like machine that delivers a consistently great show night in and night out. Santana and his exceptional band did just that, in front of a nearly sold-out venue no less. That is no small feat considering Central Texas temperatures were still hovering in the 90s with high humidity by set time. That didn’t stop hordes of fans (some who drove from as far as the Rio Grande Valley, a four to five-hour drive from Austin) from flocking to the performance.
After a hit-filled Doobie Brothers set in the harsh light of day before the sunset, Santana and his crew hit the ground running with the funky, upbeat “Soul Sacrifice” before delving into even more percussive African rhythms with a cover of the Nigerian hit “Jin-Go-Lo-Ba” written by drummer and activist Babatunde Olatunji. A true Latin artist, Santana regularly features world percussion sounds, touring with two drummers, a percussionist and a conga player. Percussion is at the heart of Latin music, and Carl Perazzo has long been Santana’s go to percussionist. He is a former child-prodigy from San Francisco who played with the imitable Cal Tjader as an elementary school student. Santana’s live show was moderated by that insistent, tribal beat driven by Perazzo (and his fellow percussionists) that dictated the ebb and flow of the performance.
The guitarist who once shared the original Woodstock Festival stage with Jimi Hendrix flashed his six-string brilliance with stinging, expansive solos during “Evil Ways” before eventually segueing into the throwback hit “A Love Supreme.” At this point in the performance, even the fans (let alone the performers) were heaving air, warm from having been conscripted into a compulsive dance to the rhythms being created in front of them. The band soon downshifted to “Put Your Lights On” from 1999’s Supernatural album which was preceded by “(Da Le) Yaleo” from the same record. A remarkable number of fans held up their smartphones with their flashlights on for former whose song title sounds like a command to do just that.
The current tour is entitled “Supernatural Now” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of that guest-filled, hit record that thrusted Santana back into the collective consciousness of most music fans. Most people know the hit song from the record, “Smooth”, featuring Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas who was hot in 1999. Santana had the goal of making a more commercially accessible recording then, enlisting the help of peers, Eric Clapton, Lauren Hill, Cee-Lo Green and even Mexico’s popular rock en Espagnol heroes, Maná.
The band delved into a Zombies cover with “She’s Not There”, which Santana released in 1977 on his Moonflower album before returning to seminal hits, “Black Magic Woman” and his now mythical version of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va.” The former allowed the guitar master to stretch out during his solo, becoming even more expansive as he traded licks with his keyboard player, David K Matthews (Tower of Power) and featured his band with their own solos. His wife, Cindy Blackman, one of the two current touring drummers, wailed on the stage left drum kit, lending the band the energy needed to propel the group to another stellar performance, Santana could have merely reeled off a few good riffs and left it at that. Instead, he invited Doobie’s guitarist Patrick Simmons on stage to play with his band, enhancing the level of play as the musicians hunkered down to groove with their on-stage guest.
The second half of the set included more hits from Supernatural, with “Maria Maria” making an appearance, this time highlighting vocalists, Andy Vargas and Ray Green who were spectacular at connecting to the audience in front of them, often strutting to either side of stage to get closer to fans. “Corazon Espinado” also from Supernatural appeared just before the end of the set, igniting a Latin dance-party that had fans on their feet, celebrating with Santana.
The three-song encore included two late-1960s psychedelic funk covers from The Chambers Brothers, “Are You Ready” and “Love Peace and Happiness” with another track from Supernatural, “Smooth”, sandwiched in between. The 19-song set left fans sated (and sweaty) as the crowd slowly filtered out of the venue, still buzzing about the incredible performance they’d just witnessed.
Some legacies are worth preserving. Put Carlos Santana’s near the top of that list. He’s proven he belongs there.
Photo credit: Mike Cosmic
