Going into the show I wasn’t aware of feeling like I was about to have this mind altering experience.  I thought it’d be no big deal seeing him live since I had already seen him live on this great DVD.  How much different could it be especially considering how terrific his performance was on the disc?

So okay, it took maybe 15 seconds of the show to see just how wrong I was.  This guy comes on stage and he and his band mates went from zero to sixty mph in nothing flat.  They roared like a freight train going full throttle down the tracks and then just picked up speed from there.  How?  I have no clue!

Mr. Carlos Santana is a guitar playing machine and does it so casually that it’s downright mystifying.  How can he keep his fingers moving that fast for that long?  It was not like anything I had ever witnessed before – and I have seen the likes of Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, and half a dozen other pretty incredible guitar players.

Carlos took it to a new level and it was so far superior to what I had watched on DVD.  It was embarrassing to think I thought I knew what I’d be in store for when coming to this show.  Carlos Santana, you are a master.  And the best part of the story for me is that you aren’t up there trying to impress us with how good you are.  It looks like you are all about bringing it home and getting the job done, i.e. thoroughly entertaining your audience from beginning to end.

It appeared to me that I was not the only one feeling the impact of his genius.  The fans in the crowd looked very much tuned in to this guitar playing machine!

Santana played many favorites that I knew and many others that I did not.  Frankly it didn’t matter.  I was so mesmerized by his guitar work that the lyrics didn’t seem too significant.   Well, maybe I’m overstating and should just say the lyrics took a back seat.  I did really enjoy hearing Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Maria Maria, Evil Ways, and Smooth much more than those tunes that I wasn’t familiar with.

I am happy to have finally seen LIVE this rock legend and certainly the Bayou Music Center was an ideal location for his electrifying and perhaps Supernatural show.

I also learned my lesson that it just isn’t ever going to be the case that Memorex can replace the real thing.  It may be less costly, it may allow me to avoid traffic, and get to bed earlier.  But nothing beats live music!  So go out, spend the money, and support your favorite bands … now playing LIVE in H Town!

Until next time remember there is no time to kill.

dwc