Review by Val Tapia
Promoter: Live Nation (https://www.livenation.com/ )
Venue: Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre (https://www.facebook.com/TalkingStickResortAmphitheatre/ )
Date: April 18yh, 2025
Tour: Oneness Tour 2025
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a show in the rain. As a result, it was also a little chilly on Fri. April 18 when veteran rock band Santana took the stage at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre.
For the record, I will always call it Desert Sky Pavilion. Because that’s exactly what it is. But I digress.
It was definitely a chilly night– for mid-April anyway. For the fans who purchased lawn tickets, I got a chuckle seeing many of them drape the blankets around themselves instead of spreading them out on the grass. Can’t blame them one bit by the way.
Fortunately, it was only (on-and-off) light rain throughout the band’s generous 130-minute set. It was somewhat surprising that the first ten songs of the 22-song set focused on Santana’s first three albums. Some would contend their best albums. But I digress.
Kicking the show off with Soul Sacrifice from the band’s landmark 1969 debut album, the crowd of roughly 11,000 people (in my estimation, not an official number) were ready for a night of great music to kick off Easter weekend.
Even though the music always does the talking at a Santana show, it was interesting to see them incorporate a few visuals here and there, as basic and perhaps commonplace as they are in today’s arena shows (i.e. referring to video backdrop and lasers).
Onstage, fan-favorite Jingo preceded Santana’s first-ever Billboard top-10 single Evil Ways to the delight of the multi-generational audience. I’m always surprised how many families attend their shows. When I say “families”, I mean families with their adult children in tow.
Believe it or not, there was a brief period during the 80s when Santana wouldn’t play two of its biggest hits. Yes, I’m talking about their well-known versions of Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen and Oye Como Va in particular, from 1970’s Abraxas.
Long and short of it, lead guitarist Carlos Santana (at the time) didn’t want Santana to become “jukebox relics”. His words, not mine.
Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with many longtime fans. However, the aforementioned songs have been “staples” of their tours now for the better part of three decades. Clearly, Mr. Santana saw the bigger picture over time.
Or put another way, the audience goes into a frenzy when they’re played— without fail.
Everybody’s Everything (from 1971’s Santana III) gets the crowd toward the front dancing and singing. It’s one that the band clearly enjoy playing all these years later.
Regarding the current Santana lineup, they definitely play the songs well for the most part. However, at times they sounded like a professional tribute band— or the Carlos Santana band. Fairly or unfairly.
Prior to the classic instrumental Samba Pa Ti, Santana himself went on a brief rant about bands that don’t play live onstage. In short order, he didn’t mince words. And rightly so I might add.
“Everyone on this stage is singing and playing live“, Santana stated bluntly. “There are a lot of bands today who lip-sync onstage. We don’t know how to do that. We play live.”
Nice to see someone calling it out— not to mention onstage in front of thousands of fans. Kudos to Mr. Santana for that!
It was now time for a couple of obscure songs, and Santana didn’t disappoint on that front. Batuka and Hope You’re Feeling Better were nice surprises.
To their credit, the band did play three songs from their new album Sentient. Even though two were cover songs by Smokey Robinson (Please Don’t Take Your Love) and the late Michael Jackson (Whatever Happens), it’s cool to see they want to give their loyal fans something “new”, so to speak.
In case you’re wondering, the third and final new song of the night was Let The Guitar Play. Overall, the crowd was polite, but the band was more than happy to play them, no matter how they reacted.
Those of you who have seen any incarnation of Santana live over its 55-year career, you’re well aware that jamming is a big part of the Santana “experience”, if you will.
In my opinion, I find “jamming” to be overbearing and redundant. Yes, I appreciate the musicianship behind it. However, it seemed like they did a little less of it on the Oneness tour. Or at least, compared to past Santana shows I’ve seen.
Surprisingly, they wanted to concentrate on the songs this time… thankfully. That’s a good thing my friends.
Of course, it should be said that Santana can never leave out select songs from 1999’s mega-platinum album Supernatural. Songs like Put Your Lights On, Maria Maria and Smooth have never left the live set since they came out.
Just like jamming, I think solos are just as unnecessary. During the first encore Toussaint L’Overture, drummer Cindy Blackman-Santana took center stage to roaring approval. While her talent is certainly exceptional, if I never hear another drum, bass or guitar solo ever again, I’m completely fine with that. No matter how talented they are.
For this writer, the songs are the true star of the show, not a band member’s individual prowess. Sorry.
The final verdict? I’ll give Santana’s Oneness tour 3.5 out of five stars. They’re still solid after five decades, despite the multiple lineup changes over the years. The faces have changed, but the commitment to their art remains. I sincerely applaud them for that.
Santana setlist in Phoenix:
Soul Sacrifice
Jingo
Evil Ways
Black Magic Woman/ Gypsy Queen
Oye Como Va
Everybody’s Everything
Samba Pa Ti
Batuka
No One To Depend On
Hope You’re Feeling Better
Whatever Happens (new song)
Let The Guitar Play (new song)
Please Don’t Take Your Love (new song)
She’s Not There
The Game Of Love
(Da Le) Yaleo
Put Your Lights On
Corazon Espinado
Maria Maria
Foo Foo
Encore:
Toussaint L’Overture
Smooth
