Black magic with a Thai touch

Latin rock shook Bangkok on Wednesday night as the ever-popular Carlos Santana and his band returned to Bangkok for another sold-out show at Impact Arena.

The “Santana: The Sentient Tour” concert kept the crowd mesmerised throughout the two-and-a half-hour show. Audience members, several of them expats and foreign tourists, rocked in their seats and danced in the aisles.

The guitarist belied his 65 years, playing an energetic set and, together with his strong team of musicians, bringing the house down with lively and rhythmic Latin rock. The song list included a wealth of hits from the past, among them “Black Magic Woman”, “Smooth”, “Oye Como Va”, “Jingo”, and “Maria Maria”.

Santana told the audience that the Bangkok concert was “the best we’ve played so far” this year. He’s performed in Bangkok three times to date, with the previous concert taking place just two years ago and many will be looking forward to a swift return.

For local fans, the highlight of the concert was when three key members of Carabao songs-for-life band – Yuenyong “Ad” Opakul, Preecha “Lek” Chanaphai, and Thierry Mekwattana – joined Santana for a well-rehearsed jam. Ad sang while Lek played a brief guitar solo alongside Santana to loud cheers from the audience.

Calling Carabao a “national treasure”, Santana first mispronounced the band’s name though later managed to get it right.

The songs-for-life veterans opened the concert, revving up the audience with a 45-minute set that included “Bua Loy”, “Phrachao Tak”, and “Thale Jai”, as well as a long medley of hits and not-so-popular songs from the past. Ad described Santana as a teacher.

He also joked that on this occasion, there should be no fighting during the concert, a reference to the many Carabao concerts that have been marred by outbreaks of violence between rival groups.

A playful Santana impressed the audience with his superb performance, playing his guitar in different styles – sharp and clear in slow songs, bold and fun in fast songs. Especially impressive was his rapid-fire fretwork on “Europa”.

Many of the songs performed during the concert were instrumentals, which provided a good opportunity for Santana and his musicians to showcase their exceptional talents.

Santana’s wife, Cindy Blackman, and Dennis Chambers performed separate drum solos that wowed the crowd and loud cheers and applause. There were also solos by other musicians – including Jeff Cressman on trombone, Bill Ortiz on trumpet and keyboardist David Mathews.

Vocalists Tony Lindsay and Andy Vargas also played an important role, singing most of the songs including “Love Is You, Love Is Me”, “Corazon Espinado” and “Dame Tu Amor”.

During the encore, Santana and his band performed “Soul Sacrifice”, a classic instrumental from the era of the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Then, with no words of farewell, they disappeared into darkness, leaving the audience wondering whether the concert had actually come to an end. It was a while before the lights came up to signal it was time to go home.