Concert #56 - Santana at the Greek Theater (September 14, 1989)

My Santana-addiction acted up again in September 1989. His guitar playing was out-of-this-world, but what truly attracted me to his shows were his drummers and percussionists, who would propel the music forward with energy and force, something you don't see and hear often.

This was the second of two consecutive shows at the Greek. After having seen him twice before, Santana's shows had become somewhat predictable - not necessarily a bad thing - so I got to hear "Black Magic Woman/Gipsy Queen" and "Oye Como Va" at each and every one of my Santana outings.

There was no opening act.

Concert #43 - Santana at the Greek Theater ( Sep 27, 1988)

Thirteen months after my first-ever Santana show, it was time for me to see him again. He plays often in the Los Angeles area, typically at large venues, and this time he came to the Greek for two consecutive nights. I went with a coworker, Dennis S.

Santana's gig was pretty much the same as the one I caught at the Universal, but it had less of an impact on me. Still, I think it was then when I first realized what a great song "No One To Depend On" was. As far as I remember, Alex Ligertwood did most of the vocals.

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.