January 16, 2011

Concert #31 - Santana at the Universal Amphitheater (Aug 16, 1987)


One day after the Bryan Adams show at the Forum, I was back in action again, this time at the Universal Amphitheater. Up to that point, I had only been a mild Santana fan, but seeing him live changed that for ever, and from that point on, I went back many times to see Santana play.

Santana's guitar playing was stunning, vocalist Alex Ligertwood was great as well, but the highlight of the show were the four drummers and percussionists, who drove the band from start to finish and got my blood circulating at amazing speeds. Keyboardist Chester Thompson was also a key contributor, pun intended.


The highlight of the show was when they played, in quick succession, "Black Magic Woman", "Gypsy Queen", " Oye Como Va", "Evil Ways" and "Jingo", a veritable tour de force that got all of us standing and screaming. Unforgettable.

One thing is clear: no studio recording can capture the energy and the power of Santana live.

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