Carlos Santana mixes up his sets from concert to concert. He plays his greatest hits, of course, and ends most shows with “Smooth,” but he has a selection of covers to choose from that allows him to make each show a little bit different. One thing that rarely changes is how performances start, with a transportation back to Woodstock when Santana, the band, was introduced to the counterculture at large via a now-iconic rendition of “Soul Sacrifice.”
That song is delivered today with modern live audio fidelity and Santana, the musician, playing its familiar riffs through a custom guitar designed by Paul Reed Smith rather than the Gibson SG with which he established his trademark sustain-fueled tone in the late ’60s. The life of Santana, the human being, has finally been documented in a film by Emmy-winning director Rudy Valdez that was acquired for worldwide distribution by Sony Pictures Classics in April. Although a release date is not yet set, Carlos, the movie, is coming.
Meanwhile, the guitarist’s tone may be best attempted with a PRS Santana SE Signature Series guitar. One of the best brands to rival guitar giants Gibson and Fender, PRS has long had a relationship with Santana and now produces a 24-fret solid body instrument with a patented tremolo system and Santana “S” humbucking pickups for maximum sustain.
If that’s out of one’s price range, Santana, the shoe designer, has ideas for feet. His Carlos by Carlos Santana women’s footwear collection is well-established, but he’s added Shoes for Men with boots, lace-ups loafers and slip-ons as part of the collection. Santana, the philanthropist, supports his Milagro Foundation that provides health care and educational opportunities for children with profits from sales while literally providing an opportunity for people to walk in his shoes.
It’s in concert that Santana, the legend, is best experienced, though. And on the House of Blues music hall stage in An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live, with songs like “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen,” “Maria Maria” and everything in between, Santana is nothing short of transcendental.
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