Las Vegas Weekly

November 12, 2009 · 11:35 AM

Photo Gallery: Santana’s triumphant return to The Joint

By Robin Leach

Carlos Santana performs during his show Supernatural Santana at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel, Nov. 11, 2009.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

To many people, Carlos Santana is America’s greatest living guitar player. He returned in triumph last night to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel for a run of concerts through Nov. 22.

It’s part of his two-year residency at the off-Strip property. Carlos’ contract doesn’t allow him to perform anywhere else west of the Mississippi other than here at the Hard Rock. Our contributing photographers Erik Kabik and Scott Harrison were front row center last night for the first of the new shows.

Erik told me: “It was nothing short of a triumphant return to Las Vegas taking the show to a whole new level. The stage curtains opened to reveal Carlos Santana bathed in a ray of blue light, and the band jammed with a classic Santana tune before they launched into a scorching version of ‘Black Magic Woman.’ There also was an incredible version of The Zombies song ‘She’s Not There.’

“The sound system in The Joint is perfect for Santana: You hear every note, and the dynamic range makes it feel like you’re wearing a set of headphones. The volume is enough to engross you and pull you in but not overtake you. Carlos seems as vibrant and on point as he has ever been. His guitar solos all seemed to really stand out and transcend each piece of music. As he himself says, ‘We play the music to help us all transcend and take ourselves to a place of harmony and peace.’ ”

Santana returns to The Joint from Feb. 3-21.

Today, Carlos will be a volunteer at our Three Square Food Bank to assist in packing food parcels to be delivered to the hungry and needy in the Las Vegas Valley. Carlos will discuss his partnership with Three Square and World Hunger Year. He is helping to raise food, funds and awareness for America’s hungry children during the November performances at the Hard Rock.

He plans to answer questions at noon at the food bank and then roll up his sleeves to volunteer for an hour. Vegas DeLuxe will have photos of his efforts as soon as we receive them.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Carlos Santana performs during his show Supernatural Santana at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel, Nov. 11, 2009.

Concertgoers who bring five nonperishable food items or make a $5 donation to Three Square will receive a $5 gift certificate for Ago or Rare 120 at the Hard Rock. Representatives from World Hunger Year and Three Square will be on hand before and after each performance to collect donations from participating fans.

For more information, go to WHYHunger.org and ThreeSquare.org.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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