Review of “Santana”

At: The Silverstone Classic, Silverstone

On: Saturday 25/07/09

By: Gaby

Santana is one of those rare groups of artists whose music is difficult in the extreme to categorise infusing a hypnotic mix of blues, rock, jazz and Latin into; what I suppose would now be called “world music”, one ear pleasing ensemble of infectious beats, harmonies and rhythms driven and passion filled to the brim by the one man guitar legend who is Carlos Santana.

Now in his sixties and having lived through over 40 years in the music business Carlos Santana continues to deliver his own brand of musical delight to the masses much as he ever did even from the early Woodstock festival.

The sound produced by himself and his large scale band of musical perfectionists is nothing short of a wall to wall musical kaleidoscope of both our history and our time and is both rich in significance as well as pure joy and pleasure.

Time goes very quickly whilst attending a Santana gig as you are swept away on a musical odyssey that transcends culture, age, sex and belief and drives you along a path mesmerising sensory overflow that just can’t help making you smile and bop away without a care in the world.

This shy, introverted, un-assuming and mystical man who has inspired countless guitar players and music fans alike throughout the decades continues to both inspire and challenge our musical perceptions and senses.

Playing a virtually non-stop set of his all-time greatest classic pieces from “Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen”, “Soul Sacrifice”, “Oye Como Va”, Love Devotion & Surrender” to “She’s Not There” and “No One to Depend On” he and his outstanding band of musicians and singers delivered the goods with flare, elegance and most of all a deep rooted love and passion for both the music and the people’s of the world to whom it serves and possibly unites.

If ever there was a man who truly lives up to the word legend then this was the man and it was both a pleasure and an honour to have been in his presence this night at Silverstone where he played once again to thousands of people all addicted to his unique and atmospheric sounds of love, peace and happiness.