On April 9th, Carlos Santana visited Omaha, Nebraska to perform at the CHI Health Center on his Blessings and Miracles tour.
As a longtime fan of Rock ‘n Roll, Classic Rock, Soft Rock, and more, I’ve known about Santana for some time. In fact, most individuals tend to know the name, “Santana” in some way shape, or form. Carlos is renowned and considered to be one of the best guitarists to ever play, and his performance on Saturday night was a revelation of just that. He delivered.
The setlist included a multitude of hits, including but not limited to “Joy,” “Maria Maria,” “Smooth,” “Oye Como Va,” “Black Magic Woman,” and many more.
“The Quality of Carlos Santana’s Guitar Solos was a
Replication from the Recordings.“
Guitar solos are a product of the complexity and difficulty of art itself, with many artists being good, Santana is respected as a great. Now, there tends to be a stigma regarding the ability to replicate a guitar solo during a live performance, as some are nearly impossible to replicate from the studio. Santana, in 2022, crumbled that argument into dust, simply with his guitar and words of love. With a humble expectation for his performance, he blew it out of the water.
The set lasted nearly two hours, with a few breaks in between to speak to the Omaha crowd. Otherwise, the setlist played together seamlessly. The band was on the same page in its entirety. Any errors, if at all, were improved to a degree of no detection by the audience. It was Santana in his element. That is where he’s meant to be, playing the electric guitar.
His team’s collective performance sparked a realization for me. I tend to have a limited expectations at live concerts as compared to the produced recording. This is the case because of the stakes that live performances hold. All members have one shot to play the songs correctly, in sync, and deliver a package to the world. I believe that a sense of humility may come from that. Because of the great opportunity for error, from hitting the wrong note on a solo to getting off sync with other members, we consider the product to sound “live” and not the exact replication of the recordings. As stated before, Santana and his band serve as an ultimate outlier in this regard. Their performance was seamless.
Contributing Factors of a Live Music Experience
Now, live performances serve as an opportunity for fans and individuals to partake in an experience with the performers. There’s a unique dichotomy between the ones in the crowd and on the stage. Many factors contribute to the overall experience for everyone in attendance.
First of which includes the space, in this case, the CHI Health Center, which fits nearly 17.5 thousand attendees. Secondly is the live music itself, including a collective effort from all musicians, audio engineers, etc. The lights also play a vital role in the experience. Santana’s light show included various themes of colors for each song. A variety of designs were used for the show, including inspired shapes/designs ranging from psychedelia, reggae, to his Latin roots.
Final Remarks
Santana’s performance was phenomenal. Carlos Santana has been performing since the mid-60s, and his talent has not diminished one bit. It is so impressive and inspiring. Every single member of the band conducted a solo at one point in the experience, and all members left a remarkable impression on Omaha.
Santana noted that if there’s one thing he wants to accomplish, it’s to provide “healing.” From those words, I could tell his heart is in a good place, and that heart resonated with the crowd of Omaha.
