In the hands of Carlos Santana, a guitar becomes a conduit to the divine. For 13 years, the 76-year-old virtuoso has transformed the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay into something approaching a temple, where his An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live residency has turned from mere entertainment into something approaching a musical pilgrimage.
The newly announced September and November dates follow a triumphant May run, giving fans more opportunities to witness Santana in his element. What makes this residency endure isn’t just the hits, though Santana has an arsenal of them. From “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va” to “Maria Maria” and “Smooth,” each track arrives timeless and electric. Santana doesn’t perform these songs; he channels them, letting each solo spiral into uncharted musical territory.
His return to the Vegas stage feels perfect. March brought Sentient, his latest album—a career-spanning retrospective featuring previously unreleased collaborations with Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson and his wife, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana. “I’m always driven by passion, emotion and inner instinct,” Santana states on his official website. “When I first heard these tracks floating around in the house, I said, ‘Why don’t we put these all in one place?’”…