Carlos Santana: Selfless Act

by Photo Diva

Monday, November 16, 2009

I know the picture is not very sharp but I wanted to share the opening scene with you

When my hubby found out that I was seeing Carlos Santana he told me about a friend of his who, in the late 90′s, was hitchhiking in the San Francisco Bay area when a mustached man in an older sports car, wearing a hat, pulled up alongside and gave him a ride. That man was Carlos Santana and is just one example of the generous and selfless spirit of this humble and talented man.

I must admit right off the top that I am a huge Carlos Santana fan and after more than 40 years in the music industry and at age of 62 he is at the top of his game as one of the growing number of resident acts in town with his latest musical journey entitled “Supernatural Santana – A Trip through the Hits” inside the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. I have to tell you this wasn’t an easy “get” for me — I have been hounding the PR agent for months to get into this show and finally got a photo pass and one ticket to opening night of the current run this past Wednesday and let me tell you, even though my incredibly disappointed hubby (and editor of FOH, the leading live event sound magazine) had to stay home, the effort was well worth it.

Carlos and his band plays Black Magic Woman

From the opening moment of the show, you are enveloped by Santana’s unique sound and vision as the curtain opens ever so slightly to reveal a solo Santana lit by an overheard ethereal white light and lightning bolts flashing behind his silhouette and him playing a slow paced melody that only he can do. Soon he breaks into “Black Magic Woman” and the curtains open to reveal the rest of the visually stimulating set and a top-notch 10-piece band consisting of Freddie Ravel (keyboards), Karl Perazzo (timbales), Benny Rietveld (bass), Dennis Chambers (drums), Raul Rekow (congas), Andy Vargas (vocals), Tony Lindsay (vocals), Tommy Anthony (rhythm guitar), Jeff Cressman (trombone) and Bill Ortiz (trumpet).

Now keep in mind that my photo pass is only for the first three songs/no flash which is the standard fare but the difference this time is that we could shoot from the front of the stage and/or in a roped off area in front of the front of house position so a few of us in the photo pool came up with the plan that we’d shoot the first song from the front of house position and then run up the aisle to the front of the stage for the second song and then back for the third song.

Carlos Santana really is supernatural

So when Santana effortlessly flowed into “Oye Como Va” we rushed up the aisle. The security dudes didn’t seem too amused by our actions but we were all in the zone and Santana graced us with a few smiles and nods but he too was in the zone. It was awesome but was over too soon as he and the band melded into “Aye Aye Aye” we quickly moved back up the aisle to wrap up our chance to capture that Santana magic in our images.

As they broke from the Santana classics and began a more recent hit, “Maria, Maria,” we were escorted out of the venue and I ran down the hall to the Hard Rock’s parking structure to put my cameras in the car (even though I had an actual ticket in hand the cameras are not allowed to stay in the venue). I ran back and got inside the venue just as the amazing band began one of my favorite songs off of Santana’s comeback record Supernatural entitled “Corazon Espinado” where the rhythm section really show off their chops with Latin and Reggae beats and an amazing drum solo all of which went brilliantly and flawlessly into the 1969 hit “Jingo” which continued the amazing percussion solos.

The nice thing about seeing Santana in the new Joint is that the venue is designed so well that there isn’t a bad seat in the house, the sound was mixed perfectly and at an appropriate level and both the staging and lighting design are exciting without being too over-the-top. Another nice thing about the show is that it’s not all about Santana and guitar solos as he is both selfless and humble onstage and shares the spotlight with all of his bandmates, all of which are incredible musicians themselves. Santana, both a showman and a shaman, effortlessly guides you along a musical path that encompasses his long and varied career and filled with spicy Latin percussion with a hint of African rhythms, sweet vocals, hot accents of keyboards and horns and sensual bluesy guitar solos from the man himself.

Santana doesn’t talk much during the show but at one point he does reflect upon being a positive influence on the world, that he plays music to help transform the planet and help bring peace on earth, giving us a taste of his deep shamanistic spirituality. Supernatural Santana really is a fantastic show and a delightful musical journey, highlighted for me by the soaring melody of my favorite 1970’s hit “Europa” but soon after, while hanging in the bar area because I couldn’t find my seat, I started really missing my hubby left sulking at home so I left right after the end note of “She’s Not There.”

Timbale player Karl Perazzo solos

Like I mentioned before Carlos Santana isn’t all just talk and music: he walks the walk and is very much a compassionate philanthropist. He has partnered with Tickets-for-Charity to help generate critically-needed funds for some of the nation’s most respected nonprofit organizations. Founded by Jord Poster, one of the co-founders of Priceline, Tickets-for-Charity works directly with performing artists like Santana and John Mayer as well as Robin Williams upcoming MGM Grand show to make fantastic, high-demand seats available while raising millions of dollars for leading charities including Feeding America in the process.

Singer Tony Lindsay rocks the mic

How it works is that seats are available for ticket face value plus a charitable donation, which varies depending on demand, seat location and tour. What’s cool is that the Tickets-for-Charity customer knows exactly what they are paying for (he ticket face value and donation) right up front in the purchase process. The artist/tour receives 100% of the ticket face value, and partner charities receive 100% of the donation amount (less direct transaction costs). A standard service fee underwrites the ongoing maintenance of Tickets-for-Charity. Each artist may designate a charity to feature on his or her tour and this artist-affiliated charity receives 25% of the donation amount, while customers may typically select up to 3 additional charities to benefit from their purchase (or decide to have the artist-affiliated organization get 100%).

“It’s been wonderful working with Santana, and we have great seats available for the rest of his November shows at The Joint. In addition, we have fantastic seats to see Robin Williams at MGM Grand on December 5 to benefit the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and other leading charities” said Kate Brandeis, Director of Marketing and Communications for Charity Partners, Inc. via email.

Oh look a smile

But that’s not the only way Santana is so giving: He visited Three Square Food Bank Thursday morning to announce his partnership with Three Square and World Hunger Year (WHY) to help end hunger. If you haven’t heard there are reports that food banks like Three Square are also facing great challenges during the economic crisis with donations down as much as 50% and the need skyrocketing so during Santana’s Nov. 11-22 performances, concertgoers who bring five non-perishable food items or make a $5 donation to Three Square Food Bank will receive a $5 gift certificate valid at Ago or Rare 120 restaurant at the Hard Rock. Representatives from WHY (World Hunger Year) and Three Square will be on hand before and after each performance near the Joint’s Box Office to collect donations.

I didn’t go to the Three Square press event but I’ve been told that Santana jumped in and began working along side the Three Square volunteers to process food donations after speaking to the gathered reporters. Why am I not surprised…

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