There are not many world-class rock acts still performing that remain to be ticked off on my own personal bucket-list but Santana definitely fit that category so it was off to London at the weekend for a night at the O2.

My phone doesn’t seem to like ticket apps for some reason. I frequently get blocked by app accounts which always makes me incredibly nervous in the run-up to a “your phone is your ticket” type gig. However, at least the O2 seem to be aware that ticket app technology is far from fool-proof. If you can’t access your ticket on your phone they have a Plan B in place: go up to the box office, show them your original confirmation email, show them some photo ID and they will happily print off an old-fashioned paper ticket for you.

With that drama over and after meeting up with friends for a pre-gig pizza, it was time for Santana. No support band, just two hours of pure Santana magic with a short interval mid-way through.

From the off it’s very much a give-the-audience-exactly-what-they-want greatest hits set, interspersed with nuggets of Woodstock-era exhortations in favour of love and peace and togetherness. “I’m a hippy!” explains Carlos Santana to the O2 crowd. What most surviving veterans of Woodstock cannot boast, however, is a multi-platinum-selling career-renaissance album from the late 1990s. Songs from 1999’s Supernatural album are thus well-represented throughout the set, alongside a heavy dose of material from the first three albums. Starting off with a wonderfully energetic ‘Soul Sacrifice’ to get us all into the Latin-rock-Woodstock- hippy vibe, that mix of late 60s/early 70s Santana standards alongside late 90s/early 00s renaissance classics works to perfection. In the first half, ‘Evil Ways’, Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Samba Pa Ti’ from the earlier era nestle alongside equally stunning renditions of  ‘Maria Maria’ and ‘Foo Foo’ from the later one.

It’s not unusual for artists headlining arena gigs to have a huge entourage of touring musicians and, indeed, it’s a ten-strong band up on stage tonight. What’s impressive for such a full sound though is that beyond the two vocalists (Andy Vargas and Ray Greene) at the front and the array of percussionists dominating the back of the stage it’s a standard rock-band set-up of two guitarists, a bass-player, keyboards and drummer. The latter, Cindy Blackman Santana, is the wife of Carlos and an insanely-talented performer, with her powerhouse hard-rock drumming melding perfectly with the multiple layers of additional percussion to create that signature Santana sound.

Post-interval, as soon as the band are back on stage, it’s on to more magic. Kicking off with another instrumental ‘Batuka’, the second set is that familiar mix of Woodstock-era favourites and Millennium-era classics.

When the houselights are up, the hangar-like confines of the O2 will never be anyone’s idea of an intimate venue. But once those lights go down a performer like Carlos Santana can instantly make an emotional connection with the entire 20,000 capacity crowd. Indeed, I’m genuinely moved to tears by the hold-your-phones-in-the-air moment  for ‘Put Your Lights On’ later in the set. And that’s only one of many highlights in the second half, including a beautiful ‘She’s Not There’.

Returning to the 1971 Santana III album for ‘Everybody’s Everything’ things start drawing to a close but not before there’s time for an encore of ‘Toussaint L’Ouverture’, a jaw-dropping extended drum solo from Cindy Blackman Santana and an everybody-out-of-their-seats finale so we could all to dance along to ‘90s mega-hit, ‘Smooth’. Exceptional musicianship and an incredible night.

Santana.com

Setlist:

Part 1:
Soul Sacrifice
Jingo
Evil Ways
Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen
Oye Cómo Va
Maria Maria
Samba Pa Ti
Foo Foo
Hope You’re Feeling Better

Part 2:
Batuka
No One to Depend On
She’s Not There
The Game of Love
(Da Le) Yaleo
Put Your Lights On
Corazón espinado
Everybody’s Everything
Toussaint L’Ouverture
Smooth