Santana, the band, recently launched the summer leg of their “Oneness” tour, on which they are joined by Counting Crows. The tour made a stop at Northwell Health at the Jones Beach Theater in Long Island, New York, on Sunday night (July 21), one day after Santana’s namesake guitarist, Carlos Santana, celebrated his 77th birthday.
On a beautiful evening by the water, Counting Crows took the stage at 7:30 p.m., led by frontman Adam Duritz, and delivered a 14-song set that included hits like “Mr. Jones,” “Round Here” and “Long December,” as well as the band’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi.” Duritz and company also delivered a cover of Taylor Swift’s “the 1” as part of the 75-minute set.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the members of Santana made their way to the stage. Carlos walked out slowly and cautiously, taking a seat with his guitar in hand. Having recently turned 77, the legendary musician may not be moving like he once did, but his magic fingers haven't missed a beat. He remained seated for much of the show, occasionally getting up, but he still sounded like he was playing 50 years ago during his band's '70s heyday.
The set included such old classics as “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen,” “Oye Cómo Va” and “Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile),” with Carlos' guitar echoing in the night sky. His multi-platinum Grammy-winning 1999 album Supernatural She was also well represented, with songs like “Corazón Espinado,” “Put Your Lights On,” “Maria Maria” and “Smooth,” which closed the set.
The Santana band includes Carlos' wife Cindy Blackman Santana, who is an absolute sensation on drums, as well as his talented son Salvador on keyboards and other instruments. Meanwhile, co-lead singers Andy Vargas and Ray Greene kept the crowd on their feet for most of the night.
Carlos let his guitar do most of the talking, but at one point he addressed the audience and talked about spirituality and how to find the light in life. The great guitarist, who last year sparked controversy during a show in Atlantic City with some anti-trans comments (for which he later apologized), this time kept a positive attitude. He was even presented with a birthday cake during the show, which made the evening even more festive.
Santana and Counting Crows will continue their “Oneness” tour with a show on September 2 in Phoenix, Arizona, with tickets available through Ticket Master either StubHubCheck out our photos from the Jones Beach concert, as well as a fan-filmed video, below.
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