A MUSICIAN MAKING A DIFFERENCE

A MUSICIAN MAKING

A DIFFERENCE Carlos Santana’s Las Vegas residency is leaving a lasting impact

By Heather Turk

Santana credits his father, José, with teaching him the importance of melody at a very young age — “That has never left me”

Legendary guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana returns to the House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay this winter with his hit Las Vegas residency, “An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live.”

Performing Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 25 through Feb. 5, at 8 p.m., “An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live” has been a Strip staple since 2012. The rockin’ residency not only gives fans the opportunity to see the iconic musician up close, but also provides Santana with a place where he and his wife, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, can open their hearts, share their music and set their “motives, purposes and intentions toward the highest good of life, people and the planet.” “One of the more beautiful aspects of playing in Las Vegas is that people from all over the world travel to see us,” Santana told nonstoplife. “I meet people from everywhere who have come to shed their skin, have some fun and, as Bob Marley said, ‘Forget your troubles and dance.’ We offer that and so much more. Our intentions are to touch your heart.”

Throughout the groovy concert experience, the 75-year-old plays a mix of his greatest hits alongside songs from his most recent album, 2021’s Blessings and Miracles. Part of the long-running residency’s success can be credited to the fact that no two performances are ever the same, as even Santana doesn’t always know what song he’s going to play next.

Did You Know...

Since May 2012, “An Intimate Evening with Santana: Greatest Hits Live” has raised more than $230,000 to benefit both The Milagro Foundation and the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation.

Santana said that his latest album, Blessings and Miracles, was created during the COVID-19 lockdowns “to bring light in a time that was filled with fear, darkness and separation” Carlos Santana recently signed a multi-year extension to keep rockin’ at the House of Blues Las Vegas

“Musically, we are always mixing it up,” Santana said. “Our friends who attend will always hear their favorite songs (like “Oye Como Va,” and “Smooth”), but we add new melodies and grooves as well as break out some deeper cuts nightly and songs by others that inspire us and share a message that we wish to convey. The set list is energy-filled, but we always leave space in the set where not even I know where we are going to go. We call it ‘willingness to allow willingness.’”

While there’s no doubt Santana enjoys celebrating life through his music each night, the thing he loves the most about his residency is the difference it makes to young people in need. A portion of the proceeds from all tickets sold goes toward benefitting both the House of Blues Music Forward Foundation and Santana’s own The Milagro Foundation.

“With The Milagro Foundation, we get to be of service to give children around the world the best education, health services and access to art and music that they need to grow, prosper and make a positive difference in the world,” Santana stated. “Being of service to humanity and making a difference in the lives of children — there is no blessing bigger than that.” houseofblues.com/lasvegas/ santana