8: Live members of the Original Santana Band (not counting the man who joined in for the encore—more on that soon) on Monday: guitarists Carlos Santana and Neal Schon, keyboardists Gregg Rolie and David K. Mathews, percussionists Michael Carabello and Karl Perazzo, drummer Michael Shrieve and bassist Benny Rietveld. Schon and Rolie (who went on to form Journey), Carabello and Shrieve date back to the band’s classic era (though only Rolie and Santana were founding members). Mathews, Perazzo and Rietveld serve in Santana’s regular lineup.
4: Albums covered during the House of Blues show—the self-titled records from 1969 and ’71, 1970’s Abraxas and the upcoming Santana IV, due out April 15.
13 Cuts played from that new LP. Some, like “Anywhere You Want to Go”—with singing from Rolie (in fine voice all night), and Santana sprinkling in trademark riffs—fit in well with the night’s throwback focus. But others, such as “Shake It” and “Caminando,” felt more like garden-variety classic rock.
2: Encore songs featuring Ronald Isley, of Isley Brothers fame. The 74-year-old soul man sings the same two tunes—”Love Makes the World Go Round” and “Freedom in Your Mind”—on Santana IV.
11: Classic songs performed. “Soul Sacrifice” paired with “Jingo” to open the show in properly percussive style, and Carlos Santana’s guitar ballad “Samba Pa Ti” was a thing of lilting beauty, but the true highlights were primal versions of “Batuka” and “Toussaint L’Overture,” which found Santana, Schon and Rolie raging with the energy of their youth. A few more oldies—“Treat,” “Incident at Neshabur” and Willie Bobo’s “Fried Neckbones,” say, would have put the night over the top, but it was still a righteous reunion—one worth revisiting when it pops up on TV and DVD.
