Of Carlos Santana

I've just got home from seeing Santana perform in Auckland with my mate Jeff.Amazing concert.I wasn't actually sure what to expect, and to be honest, I'd forgotten that we'd decided to go all those months ago when the show was announced.The opening act was Coast. I'd not heard them before, but I am very familiar with Jade, their lead singer/guitarist. He performs regularly at my local bar and is outstanding. They were really good. I thoroughly enjoyed their set.I had built up anticipation for the concert during the day, mostly because I had an email at 6:30am from one of my suppliers (Aguilar) in New York asking me to loan my Bass Amp to Benny Rietveld - the bassist for Santana. It was nice to be in a position to help out.One of my happiest places is when I'm hearing complex percussion and rhythm. Tonight was simply sublime. One of the most amazing drummers (Dennis Chambers) I've seen, stunningly good conga player and an equally stunningly good percussionist. All tied together beautifully by Benny.The other standout for me was the brass section - trumpet and trombone. They were perfection.Now, most concerts have a 'Wooooooo!' guy. The Wooooooo guy for Santana happened to be seated directly behind me. He Wooooooo'd a lot. Slightly off-key and in inappropriate times - the more tender moments if you will. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people having a blast and expressing it, but this guy was astonishing. He clapped as well as Wooooooo'd. And by clapping I mean loudly hitting his hands together in no discernable rhythm that had any connection with the music being played. And you know how it is, once you notice it, its all over.The concert was a fantastic mix of old tunes, new tunes, tunes by others that got Santanatised (eg Back in Black). There were medleys of astonishing complexity.I had a great time. Thanks Jeff for organising it. I love getting taken to school by phenomenal musicians. It was an absolute pleasure. Now back to practicing. Inspired.- Simon