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ONENESS TOUR
Live at Kia Forum
September 8, 2024 Review by Jimmy Alvarez
It’s been a minute since I went to a concert where so many people from so many different walks of life were gathered to pay homage to a great band. Perhaps the last time was 1979. The place was the Fabulous Forum, and the band was Earth, Wind & Fire.
A quarter century later, here I am again, finding myself at the precipice of all that is great about music. On this day, I arrived at the Kia Forum to see Santana.
When you think of Santana, you think of one of the greatest guitar players of all time. That’s a pretty bold statement to make, but I stand by it. This night would prove me to be prognosticator of all that is good and decent about the world of music.
As I pulled in, I noticed what I thought would be awaiting both bands playing that night – the unpredictability of this crowd. There were teenagers and not-so-teenagers, all excited to see these two bands. Each person had their own reason of course, but it was as if they were a collective beehive there for one common purpose.
As I walked in to the grand arena that is The Forum, it was evident the house would be standing room only. As quickly as the crowd filed in, the lights dimmed and out came Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows.
Immediately Duritz was energetic and obviously amped for this one. Originally from the Bay Area, Duritz was no stranger to the mean streets of L.A., and friends and fans among the crowd gave a deafening roar.
Counting Crows opened with “Hard Candy,” then went into “If I Could Give You All My Love” before a quick fade into uber-hit “Mr. Jones.” Clearly this was a fan favorite and Duritz played along, allowing the crowd to sing the chorus over and over and over.
The crowd was incensed with how great the song sounded, and the band took over. Dan Vickrey and David Bryson slew their guitars, Millard Powers slapped his bass with authority, and Jim Bogios beat the drums into submission. Their collective soul was on full display and it sounded larger-than-life.
I’ve seen Counting Crows a few times before, but this time around, it just seemed a little more hyped; then, when it wasn’t, it sounded raw – for instance when Duritz took a seat on the speakers and sang to their fans in the first few rows. “Colorblind,” “Omaha,” and “Anna Begins” were part of the cavalcade of songs from the band’s catalog. In the blink of an eye, we were at “Round Here” and the crowd went out of their friggen’ minds.
The band ended with “Holiday in Spain,” and just like that, their time on the stage had come to an end. But before they exited, Duritz said a few words that had everyone laughing.
He told the crowd to stick around for Santana because this band would blow their minds. He told a story about when he was a teenager and lied to his parents about where he was going one night. He ended up at his first Santana concert. He then said, now that he thought about it, this was the second time he told that story. The first time was the week before and his parents were in the crowd. “Ooops,” he exclaimed. That drew an enormous laugh for all in attendance.
During the intermission, everyone got to talking; like I said, it was a collective beehive sound throughout the arena. The buzz was literally in the air. I overheard people talking about how they loved how Carlos Santana single handedly infused rock and roll with some Latino jazz licks to make Spanish music cool worldwide and with all people on the planet.
By now it was only about 15 minutes since Counting Crows exited stage left; not sure how the Forum staff is able to pull this off, but they always seem to get the stage ready fairly quickly, and that night was no exception.
In what seemed like a few minutes, the enormous video screen lit up, and scenes from 1969 Woodstock appeared. That’s where the world was introduced to the majestic guitarist known as Carlos Santana.
Other tribal scenes then followed with silhouettes of band members as they took the stage. Then the drum procession began, led by his wife (Cindy Blackman Santana), who was the pulsating for of the main drum kit.
Santana opened with “Soul Sacrifice,” and the crowd, all of them – the teens and not so teens – stood in unison, acting as one and gazed in amazement as Carlos Santana made his way to the stage as the drumbeat kept cadence with the crowd clapping.
As the song ended and the crowd cheered, I overheard one of the older fans say to one of the much younger fans, “That guy has 10 Grammys and he’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!” The response made me laugh to myself as the teenager gave just two magic words to his elder: “No shit?” The response from the older guy was: “No Shit!”
Also from the Bay Area, by way of Tijuana, Carlos Santana developed a sound that is unique and has his signature on it. One thing that is different, but not too uncommon, Mr. Santana did stand and engage a good portion of the night. He also sat in a chair while playing along with the band.
Wearing his signature hat and classic guitar, he displayed an elegance that few possess onstage.
Immediately the crowd was inspired by the sound of the band, and specifically the guitar renderings as they went into a slew of classics, including “Evil Ways” and “Black Magic Woman.”
Then the roof was almost blown off the Forum when the bass line to “Oye Como Va” was heard over the PA.
Each band member participated in displaying their mastery of their instruments, exhibiting elements of percussion, keyboards, and bass, along with the electric guitar, especially to their Temptations cover of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.”
The two singers, Andy Vargas and Ray Greene, belted out tune after tune in a way that captured the essence of each song.
Wow, wow, wow is all I have to say about percussionists, Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejias. These guys killed it and left everyone awestruck.
There were moments that Mr. Santana became animated, and it was obvious too was having a good time. He acknowledged the greatness of the band with an energetic thumbs up after their song, and on several occasions he lifted his fists in the air like Rocky winning an epic battle.
It was amazing how time flew; we were two hours in and it seemed like the show just started. Santana and crew closed out the set with “Maria Maria” and “Foo Foo.”
And just like that, the show was over. But come on, it’s Santana, so you knew the show wasn’t really over. As anticipated, to the cheers and delight of the crowd, out re-emerged Santana.
As the crowd roared, they walked out to the James Bond 007 theme, and then the coolest of drum solos you can imagine was put on full display. Then, right on cue, they ended the night with “Smooth.”
Sadly for fans in other parts of the country, the tour is being cut short as Mr. Santana is getting some minor back surgery done. For those of us lucky enough to see him that night, it was simply magic!
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SID 240911 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
