Concert review: Carlos Santana wows Wilmington with epic riffs and a message of love

Fifty-two years ago, a 22-year-old Carlos Santana took his talents to the legendary Woodstock concert and blew the world's mind.

On Wednesday night, the now-74-year-old guitarist and bandleader finally made his way to Wilmington, and did the same thing for a cheering Port City crowd of several thousand at Live Oak Bank Pavilion.

With his trademark, spot-on blend of Latin rhythms, jazzy riffs and rock 'n' roll virtuosity, Santana and his six-piece band delivered a two-hour concert filled with his best-known songs, de- and re-constructed covers and plenty of jammy interludes.

Aside from the music, which sounded fantastic — plenty loud, but never deafening — and the stage show, which featured super-crisp live video and some swirling lights and smoke, it was a reminder that the large-scale concerts Wilmington used to get a couple of times a year for the Azalea Festival are now the norm. (Another reminder: If you want to get a spot at a restaurant downtown on the night of any concert at the new amphitheater, get there early. Everywhere within walking distance of the venue Wednesday night was packed to the gills, a testament to the amphitheater's economic power.)

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Santana front-loaded his set with the hits, and his first half-dozen tunes were absolute fire, with instrumental opener "Soul Sacrifice" proving the guitarist can still wail. "Jingo" captured something primal in its groove, and featured swirling organs by Dave Matthews (not that Dave Matthews) and an extended conga solo by Paoli Mejías before blending into "Evil Ways" and "Black Magic Woman," both of which were sung in polished fashion by Andy Vargas, who took on lead vocals for the evening.

Wearing jeans, Santana started his set off in a groovy snake-print jacket but soon shucked it in the muggy night, displaying a black tee emblazoned with a white eagle (he's always been a fan of animal imagery) and rocking a black fedora. Chewing gum for much of his set, he played with authority, accenting his songs with muscular riffs and taking multiple opportunities to solo, mouth agape as he found the musical ecstasy that's kept him going all these decades.

When Santana spoke to the audience, the influence of the '60s, when he came of age, was still apparent. He talked about the "living spirit" of the music, its ability to change your thinking, and called out such influences as Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia, Eric Clapton, bluesman John Lee Hooker, jazz fusion pioneer John McLaughlin and others: "I am all of them."

Santana had some wise words of spiritual advice as well, calling the ability to transform negative emotions into joy the ultimate form of "alchemy."

The band also played a couple of selections from Santana's upcoming album "Blessings and Miracles," due out Oct. 15, which sees the guitarist collaborating once again with the singer Rob Thomas. Their 1999 hit "Smooth" was part of a multi-song encore Wednesday night, although an epic, five-minute drum solo by Satana's wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, stole the show and might've gotten a bigger ovation than Santana himself.

Covers included a version of The Zombies' poppy "She's Not There" and an abbreviated take on Eric Burdon & War's "Spill the Wine," as well as musical references to everything from Iron Butterfly's "In a Gadda Da Vida" to Dee-Lite's "Groove Is In the Heart." The Youngbloods' '60s classic "Get Together" closed the concert.

For the most part, Santana's more recent music hasn't achieved the power of the classic stuff that, rightly, made him a household name. But, as some of the video clips from his long history in worldwide pop culture showed on Wednesday, the Mexican-born Santana has achieved something special in his career, creating a truly American musical melting pot that shows the deep and lasting beauty that diversity can bring to rock 'n' roll.

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.