Santana plays Pensacola Bay Center on Wednesday, April 1 at 8 p.m. as part of the Oneness Tour. Tickets start at $75 through Ticketmaster. This is a full production show.
Carlos Santana has been one of the most recognizable guitar voices in rock since the 1969 Woodstock set that introduced him to a national audience. The band's output since then spans Latin rock, jazz fusion, pop crossovers and straight blues, a catalogue broad enough that a two-hour setlist still leaves major work on the table. Live, the band runs tight. The percussion section alone is worth the price of admission.
At 78, Santana continues touring at a pace that surprises people. He has described the Oneness Tour as a spiritual undertaking as much as a commercial one. What that means in practice is a show that builds slowly and burns long, not a sprint through the hits, but something closer to a full evening of music that earns its ending.
The Bay Center is at 201 E. Gregory Street, downtown Pensacola. Parking in the adjacent deck. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets at ticketmaster.com or the Bay Center box office.