This week brings the return of one of the longest-running musical residency headlining shows on the Strip to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Carlos Santana will be kicking off his ninth year of shows at the stalwart music hall and calls the comeback a “golden opportunity.” Now more than ever after the challenges of the pandemic year, he says, people all over the world see music and live entertainment “like water and air. We are an ingredient that people gotta have, because it gives them hope and courage, which is something the world needs right now.” Speaking via phone from his home in Hawaii, Santana recently shared his thoughts on spreading that hope, his history in Las Vegas, new music and upcoming tour plans.

How does it feel to be getting back onstage again?

It’s such a blessing. I have never looked at (music) as a job or an opportunity or even as a profession. For my wife (drummer Cindy Blackman Santana) and I, it always has been a way of life. My father did it and his father and his father, and now my son does it.

I’m sure you never expected to have a Las Vegas show running this long.

No. My first time playing in Las Vegas was with the Grateful Dead. We opened for them a lot, and at that time hippies weren’t allowed on the Strip in Las Vegas or in Lake Tahoe, so we grew up almost like adversaries with Las Vegas, until the situation presented itself to be at the Hard Rock first, for a year and a half, then the House of Blues. That’s when I realized the things I was afraid of in Las Vegas or on Broadway, that you would become like a hamster going around and around. I thought, no, dissolve that fear. I look at it like this: People say, “Santana, we came all the way from Paris or from Sydney. Would you take a photograph with us?” They came from Australia, 12 of them, paying money at the airport and the airline and the hotel and the tickets. So yeah, I’ll take a picture. I’ll take two pictures with you! I’ve learned to be infinitely more grateful and to be in Las Vegas.

You don’t just perform here, you’ve become part of the fabric of the community. How did that happen?

I have become really involved with the community, with Three Square and a few other organizations that give back. There are so many people in Las Vegas that don’t get their credit, people I call weapons of mass compassion. They just wake up every day to serve or to heal or bring comfort. It’s really commendable.

How will your show be different when you return to the House of Blues after this long break?

A new intro, a new middle and a new ending. Rick Rubin and I did 49 songs together in 10 days about three or four years ago, and we used some of them on (last record) Africa Speaks. But we’ve got some of them coming out on this new album, Blessings and Miracles. We’ve got Steve Winwood singing “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” We have Kirk Hammett playing guitar on a song called “America for Sale.” We have Rob Thomas singing on a single coming out soon called “Move.” There are 14 songs, very vibrant, and for being 73 years old, this stuff is kicking some serious booty with energy.

House of Blues, 702.632.7600

Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.