Santana, the band, recently launched the summer leg of their “Oneness” tour, on which they are joined by Counting Crows. The outing made a stop at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Long Island, New York, on Sunday night (July 21st), a day after Santana’s namesake guitarist, Carlos Santana, celebrated his 77th birthday.
On a beautiful night 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 offered up a rendition of Taylor Swift’s “the 1” as part of the 75-minute set.
A little after 9 p.m., the members of Santana made their way onto the stage. Carlos walked out slowly and gingerly, taking a seat with his guitar in hand. Having just turned 77, the legendary musician may not move the way he used to, but his magical fingers haven’t lost a step. He remained seated for much of the show, standing up occasionally, yet he still sounded as if he were playing 50 years ago during his band’s 1970s heyday.
The set featured older classics like “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen,” “Oye Cómo Va,” and “Europa (Earth’s Cry, Heaven’s Smile),” with Carlos’ guitar playing ringing throughout the night sky. His Grammy-winning multiplatinum 1999 album Supernatural was also well represented, with songs like “Corazón Espinado,” “Put Your Lights On,” “Maria Maria,” and the set-closing “Smooth.”
The band Santana includes Carlos’ wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, who is an absolute sensation on the drums, as well as his talented son Salvador on keyboards and other instruments. Meanwhile, co-lead singers Andy Vargas and Ray Greene had the crowd on its feet for most of the night.
Carlos let his guitar do the talking for the most part, but at one point addressed the audience as he spoke about spirituality and achieving light in one’s life. The guitar great, who last year courted controversy during a show in Atlantic City with a few anti-trans comments (for which he later apologized), kept everything positive this time around. He was even presented with a birthday cake during the show, making the evening even more festive.
Santana and Counting Crows will continue their “Oneness” tour through a September 2nd show in Phoenix, Arizona, with tickets available via Ticketmaster or StubHub. See our photos from the Jones Beach concert, as well as fan-filmed video, below.