Carlos Santana united and uplifted the crowd at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

On Tuesday August 11th the legendary world-renowned Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter Carlos Santana brought his Oneness Tour 2026 to the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, CA. Known for his expressive melodic guitar soloing and generations of hit songs and classic rock anthems, the musical icon spent part of his early life growing up and performing just across the border from this venue in Tijuana, Mexico. Having performed over thirty shows in the San Diego area over the past six decades and played every large venue in town, Santana and his fabulous band always draw a huge crowd here, and this night was no exception.

Seeing these amazing world class musicians perform at the Amphitheatre felt like a home town show with a wonderful sense of familiarity from the crowd. The audience was packed in and dancing in the aisles, with many fans visiting from Mexico. From the lawn to the front row, many people sang along with every lyric and hummed every guitar line. Santana’s large ten piece band was high energy and absolutely on fire as always creating infectious music that mixes Latin, rock, reggae, pop, and an incredible amount of fierce percussion and drumming into a magical rock and roll brew, with Santana soaring over the top of it all playing intricate solos on his beautiful PRS salmon guitar.

Santana started the show with an incredible rendition of the classic “Soul Sacrifice,” although it seemed to take a little while for the seventy-nine-year-old guitarist to fully lock into the groove. The powerful congas, drums, shakers, and all the percussion on stage were overwhelming at first, but very quickly the whole band clicked into an unmistakable rhythm, and the concert was in full swing. Santana’s wife Cindy Blackman Santana is a powerful force behind the drumkit, her energy and talent are inspiring, and the way she drives this band— fiercely locking eyes with her husband throughout the set—is something to experience. Percussionist Karl Perazzo is an absolute legend on the congas, slapping his hands along to the latin rhythms faster than anyone should be able to. Classic songs early in the set like “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va” were crowd singalong and dancing favorites, with newer hits like “Maria Maria” and “Put Your Lights On” anchoring the later half of the set for some of the younger folks in attendance.

Santana’s twenty-one-song set continued with hits from the epic breakthrough album Abraxas, songs from Woodstock, tracks from the global phenomenon Supernatural, as well as covers, and call-outs to other musical artists. Santana’s touring lineup features an incredible roster of powerhouse musicians led of course by Carlos Santana on lead guitar, vocals, and hand percussion. The rhythm section is anchored by Cindy Blackman Santana on drums and Benny Rietveld on bass, accompanied by extensive percussion work from Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejías. Vocal duties are shared across the stage by Andy Vargas, Ray Greene (who also plays trombone), and rhythm guitarist Tommy Anthony. Keyboards are provided by David K. Mathews alongside Carlos’s son, Salvador Santana, who contributes both keyboards and vocals to the band’s diverse sound. Santana seemingly saved the best for last at this show. The encore kicked off with a fierce performance of “Toussaint L’Ouverture,” subtly incorporating a touching tease of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Cindy Blackman Santana then stole some of the spotlight from her husband with an incredible, high-octane drum solo that brought down the house, setting the stage for the ultimate crowd-pleaser, “Smooth.” Santana and his band proved on this evening the power of rock and roll music to bring people together and uplift the spirit, here’s hoping we see many more visits from this legendary performer.