Back in the bitter cold days of February, the hearts of classic rock fans were warmed up with the announcement of an interesting co-headlining show pairing Carlos Santana and Rod Stewart for an eighteen date tour titled The Voice, The Guitar, The Songs. Both Rock and Roll Hall of Famers in their own right, Santana and Stewart have combined to sell over 250 million records with careers that have transcended four decades. While to some, the two joining forces for a tour may seem off-beat, it is important to realize it is not as fair fetched as they would think. While Santana’s name has been forever engraved in harder rock music, Stewart has strong roots in rock-n-roll as well and is one of the most distinct voices in the genre ever. Active in recent months, Stewart recently finished an arena tour with Steve Winwood, as Santana did his own with the Allman Brothers Band, supporting their new albums respectfully. On the final night of their tour together, Stewart and Santana came to the relaxing Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY to perform in front of a capacity crowd.
First up was the guitar legend Santana. Known for his smooth blend of blues, jazz, rock, and Latin flavor, Santana’s sound is unmistakable; reaching a vast audience of listeners. With a streak of top selling records between 1969 and 1982, Santana appealed to a new generation back in 1999 with the amazing record Supernatural. Recently turning sixty-seven years old on July 20th, the Mexican-American musician shows no sign of slowing down; going strong with his twenty seventh overall studio album titled Corazón.
Coming out with color and excitement, Santana rocked out “Toussaint L’Overture” and a cover of The Champs “Tequila”. The impeccable percussion, matched by the melodic guitar work, was inviting to the ears as they played on with “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” flowing seamlessly into Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va”. On their feet and grooving to the sounds of music, the audience was all smiles as the jam continued. Mixing the old and new “Maria Maria”, “Foo Foo”, and “Corazón Espinado” were accompanied by “Jin-go-lo-ba”. With plenty of moments for each member of the band to shine in their abilities, Santana’s daughter Stella appeared on the stage beside her father to sing lead on the Bob Marley & The Wailers song “So Much Trouble in the World”. Dedicating the track to the tragic events occurring in Ferguson, MO, Stella sang strongly and emotionally; resulting in loud applause from the audience. Winding down the performance with the hit “Smooth”, an encore featured a mood setting chant sending everyone back in time before concluding with “Soul Sacrifice” and “Saideira”. Santana certainly captivated the audience in a way he and his band only can with infectious beats along with spectacular guitar work.
Having been on their feet for most of Santana’s set, everyone took the time during the intermission to relax under the stars before Stewart began. Known for his raspy but warm voice and heartfelt song composition, Stewart has spent recent years exploring different avenues of music in the adult contemporary genre. Proving his style and craft simply gets better with age, Stewart timelessly made a return to rock back in 2013 with his album Time. A vital and electric showman as ever, with new tricks up his sleeve, Stewart and his band were ready to go with their return to Long Island.
Jump-starting the set with 80’s hit “Infatuation”, Stewart sang powerfully and moved gracefully about the stage in his glossy white sports jacket. Going into the classic Sam Cooke track “Having a Party”, his dance moves kept impressing as the instrumentation of the band rocked loud and proud, adding edge and spunk. Keeping the memories coming, Stewart played the classic rock tune “You Wear It Well” before going into his cover of Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache”. The bright stage show with talented backing vocalists, alongside the rock-n-roll band, added texture to each tune and had the crowd hopping. Mixing for a tender moment amidst all the rock, Stewart highlighted the beautiful track “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” where couples could be seen embracing and swaying together. Just when it felt like things would mellow out, he threw Jones Beach for another loop, picking it right back up with the song “Stay With Me” from his time with Faces. Enjoying the blast from the past, everyone sang along with the ever touching lyrical song “Rhythm of My Heart”.
Marking the halfway point of the set, a huge wave of cheers came when Santana approached the stage and collaborated with Stewart on the old Etta James standard “I’d Rather Go Blind”. Feeding off one another, Santana’s guitar playing and Stewart’s singing were soulful and real, making for a historic moment in both’s careers. Keeping the enthusiasm level high, Stewart interacted with the audience any chance he had and kept the hits coming with “Forever Young”, “The First Cut is The Deepest”, and “Have I Told You Lately”. Sincerely touched by the personal sentiment of the renditions, the audience reflected on life, love, and everything in between.
Following the trend of keeping everyone on their toes, now donning a golden suit, Stewart brought his son Alastair out for “Sweet Little Rock & Roller” to which he danced and sang with his dad like a pro. Making for excellent song selection, not a dull moment passed as “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)”, “Hot Legs”, and signature tune “Maggie May” followed. With more crowd participation, laughter, and happiness spread throughout the aisles, there just did not seem any stone was left unturned during this performance. That was before Stewart came back out for an encore of the timeless “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” having everyone dancing like there was no tomorrow.
Proving this was a match well designed, Santana and Stewart both showed why they are worldly performers. Stewart’s theatrical stage show with numerous costume changes, lush lighting, and unbelievable orchestrated band was lively until the very last note. As Stewart’s adolescent son Alastair’s t-shirt read, “Long Live Rock-N-Roll”!
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