Spudman
Luke Skyrawker
Strange. He goes to a show then vanishes. You don't suppose they thought he was a groupie and are holding him hostage on the bus do you?
Santana Tonight!!
- Thread starter duhvoodooman
- Start date
warren0728
Well-known member
naw....probably the other way around! :whatever:Spudman said:
ww
Sumi
duhvoodooman
Addicted to solder....
Okay, okay! I am woefully remiss in posting this 4 days after the event, so my apologies, but here's my synopsis of the show:
First, I was surprised to see that the entire second tier of seats in the Times Union Center (which is basically a basketball/hockey arena, capacity = 17,500) was curtained off, so nearly half of the arena hadn't even been sold. The remaining half was about 3/4 full, so maybe 6,000 people total. I really thought the show would attract a much bigger turnout. In general, it was an older crowd--plenty of 50-somethings, many folks in the 30's/40's range, but few younger than that. For those not in attendance....their loss!
The show started promptly, with Derek Trucks & his band taking the stage a few minutes after 7 PM. While I'm not familiar with his band's material, it was a very enjoyable performance, mixing elements of southern rock, blues, jazz and even a little gospel. Man, that boy can just flat play, particularly when the glass bottle goes on his finger. I really think at this point in his career he's approaching the slide mastery of an Allman, Cooder or Landreth, albeit in his own style. The rest of the band is solid, too, with a soulful singer, keyboards, bass, drums, and congas/percussion. A high point was an extended jam based upon Greensleeves when Carlos Santana joined him on stage, and the two traded soaring solos. Tasty stuff. Derek played for about 50 minutes, and then ceded the spotlight to the old master.
Carlos and his band hit the stage about 8:30 and immediately had the crowd on their feet with a rousing opening performance of Jingo. I haven't found a set list posted yet, but the selections included a lot of his older stuff, to the delight of this older crowd. Included were Incident at Neshabur, Batuka/No One to Depend On, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Everybody's Everything and an extended version of Soul Sacrifice as an encore. Of my personal favorites, only Toussaint L'Overture was missing. Newer material was mixed in throughout, including the late 90's hit Smooth. Returning the favor, Carlos brought out Derek Trucks to jam on a couple of numbers near the end of the show.
While Santana may now be in his early 60's, I couldn't see any deterioration of his skills whatsoever; he's playing as well as he ever has. I suspect this is a reflection of his spirituality and reputation for clean living. He clearly has tremendous energy and intensity, which was evident throughout the 2+ hour set he played. The entire band is absolutely first rate across the board, with two excellent vocalists, a terrific keyboard player, a just flat amazing rhythm section, and even a couple of great horn men. The drummer, Dennis Chambers, deserves special mention; his solo during Soul Sacrifice was among the most amazing I've ever heard....and I'm not generally a big fan of drum solos!
Speaking of spirituality, he spoke for a few minutes after the first few songs, commenting on the need for peace and healing in our world. He even extended best wishes to Eliot Spitzer and his family, praying for their healing from the recent scandal. He managed to do this in a sincere and believable way, with out coming across as corny or preachy, and the crowd's reaction to his comments was very positive.
For you fellow gear-hounds, Carlos played no less than six different PRS guitars during the evening, all of them just stunningly gorgeous instruments. My favorite was an emerald green one that was to die for! Couldn't tell what all he was playing through, though it obviously included a Mesa Boogie, and I understand he also has a Dumble head he typically uses for cleaner tones. His use of pedals seemed quite minimal; only a wah pedal and a delay were clearly audible to me.
So, all in all, an excellent show--one of the best I have seen in recent years. If Santana comes to a venue near you, I strongly recommend that you go see this legend of the guitar while he is still at the height of his considerable powers.
First, I was surprised to see that the entire second tier of seats in the Times Union Center (which is basically a basketball/hockey arena, capacity = 17,500) was curtained off, so nearly half of the arena hadn't even been sold. The remaining half was about 3/4 full, so maybe 6,000 people total. I really thought the show would attract a much bigger turnout. In general, it was an older crowd--plenty of 50-somethings, many folks in the 30's/40's range, but few younger than that. For those not in attendance....their loss!
The show started promptly, with Derek Trucks & his band taking the stage a few minutes after 7 PM. While I'm not familiar with his band's material, it was a very enjoyable performance, mixing elements of southern rock, blues, jazz and even a little gospel. Man, that boy can just flat play, particularly when the glass bottle goes on his finger. I really think at this point in his career he's approaching the slide mastery of an Allman, Cooder or Landreth, albeit in his own style. The rest of the band is solid, too, with a soulful singer, keyboards, bass, drums, and congas/percussion. A high point was an extended jam based upon Greensleeves when Carlos Santana joined him on stage, and the two traded soaring solos. Tasty stuff. Derek played for about 50 minutes, and then ceded the spotlight to the old master.
Carlos and his band hit the stage about 8:30 and immediately had the crowd on their feet with a rousing opening performance of Jingo. I haven't found a set list posted yet, but the selections included a lot of his older stuff, to the delight of this older crowd. Included were Incident at Neshabur, Batuka/No One to Depend On, Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen, Oye Como Va, Everybody's Everything and an extended version of Soul Sacrifice as an encore. Of my personal favorites, only Toussaint L'Overture was missing. Newer material was mixed in throughout, including the late 90's hit Smooth. Returning the favor, Carlos brought out Derek Trucks to jam on a couple of numbers near the end of the show.
While Santana may now be in his early 60's, I couldn't see any deterioration of his skills whatsoever; he's playing as well as he ever has. I suspect this is a reflection of his spirituality and reputation for clean living. He clearly has tremendous energy and intensity, which was evident throughout the 2+ hour set he played. The entire band is absolutely first rate across the board, with two excellent vocalists, a terrific keyboard player, a just flat amazing rhythm section, and even a couple of great horn men. The drummer, Dennis Chambers, deserves special mention; his solo during Soul Sacrifice was among the most amazing I've ever heard....and I'm not generally a big fan of drum solos!
Speaking of spirituality, he spoke for a few minutes after the first few songs, commenting on the need for peace and healing in our world. He even extended best wishes to Eliot Spitzer and his family, praying for their healing from the recent scandal. He managed to do this in a sincere and believable way, with out coming across as corny or preachy, and the crowd's reaction to his comments was very positive.
For you fellow gear-hounds, Carlos played no less than six different PRS guitars during the evening, all of them just stunningly gorgeous instruments. My favorite was an emerald green one that was to die for! Couldn't tell what all he was playing through, though it obviously included a Mesa Boogie, and I understand he also has a Dumble head he typically uses for cleaner tones. His use of pedals seemed quite minimal; only a wah pedal and a delay were clearly audible to me.
So, all in all, an excellent show--one of the best I have seen in recent years. If Santana comes to a venue near you, I strongly recommend that you go see this legend of the guitar while he is still at the height of his considerable powers.
warren0728
Well-known member
thanks for the review...i agree if you get a chance to see carlos...do it! i saw him several years ago and it was an incredible show...and if derek is with him that is a double header not to miss! :bravo: :beer:duhvoodooman said:
ww
helliott
Well-known member
Terrific report! I sure wish he was playing someplace near here, Buffalo Rochester or something, but no such luck. Oh well, still holding on to slight hope that Derek joins up with EC for his mini-tour that stops in TO May 27. The guitar prodigy son and me have great seats.
Thanks again for this great review:AOK:
Thanks again for this great review:AOK:
