071410 Steve Winwood/Santana, Ottawa, ON

On July 14th, 2010 the Ottawa Bluesfest was packed to the rafters with retro rock fans eagerly eating up the same music that retro rock fans had been eating up for decades, as two legendary legends were legending themselves in front of a large, well-behaved crowd that had an average age well below the age of any of the songs they were clamouring to hear.

First up was the…uh…legendary Steve Winwood.  Well, how else can I describe him?  After joining the Spencer Davis Group at the age of fourteen the keyboard prodigy went on to be an integral part of both Traffic and Blind Faith, and with a pretty admirable solo career taboot Winwood has a virtual treasure trove of music to select from that is forever ingrained on the rock & roll psyche.  The guy just tossed out hit after hit, including Higher Ground, Dear Mr. Fantasy, and the set-ending Gimme Some Lovin’.  Like, c’mon!  That’s quite a variety of classic rock for one man to be at the centre of. 

By the end of his set the concert pitch was positively swelling with nostalgia.  And people.

And who could headline over such a feast of retro-goodness?  Well, how about Carlos Santana, lead guitarist and guru from ’60’s latin-groove jam staples, Santana.  Like most guitar players I’ve never been much of a fan but hey, on a beautiful evening under a starring sky I can Oye Come Va with the best of them, plus I’m respectful of the messianic status that has been bestowed upon him by the Carlos-converted – if not musicians – worldwide.  And really, dude almost stole the show at Woodstock more than forty years earlier and his gold-standard rock faces sure make a PRS guitar look fancy, so I stuck around.

The main plaza was packed tight with the devoted, making traversing the field all but impossible as Carlos wailed and widdled the evening into night.  Of course he played everything a casual musical acquaintance such as myself would expect from him and lots more besides, even channeling a touch of fellow Woodstock veteran (and true show-stealer) Jimi Hendrix by sandwiching the great Third Stone From The Sun between his biggest hits, Black Magic Woman and the aforementioned Oye Come Va.

The Black Magic Woman was a mid-set highlight featuring too many players onstage to count, all of them banging away at that relentless rhythm that is endemic to any Santana concert.  There were horns, singers and drums, drums, drums, with a healthy dose of Carlos Santana’s signature guitar face never far away. 

Early in the evening the crowd was treated to a stunning solo from bassist Benny Rietveld that ended in a low-end version of The Spencer Davis Group’s I’m A Man, an obvious tip of the hat to the opening act.  From one display of jaw-dropping virtuosity to another, up next was the first of many drum solos, this one by jazz giant Dennis Chambers.  The percussion section also included actor Lou Diamond Phillips and Carlos Santana’s fiancée, Cindy Blackman, along with dozens of others.  

Addressing the audience with a fervour and passion that made me believe that he truly believes, Santana implored the crowd, “If you remember one thing from this evening, it’s that you are made of Light and Love. 

“Who are you?” he asked again and again, ever-answering himself with “Light and Love.”  He put his money where his mouth was by jamming his message into musical form and peppering the rest of his trance-like set with forays into Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love and Coltrane’s A Love Supreme (for example).  What he didn’t play he at least mentioned:  “One Love, Bob Marley,” he yelled.  “Imagine, John Lennon.  What’s Goin’ On?, Marvin Gaye.  All You Need Is Love, The Beatles.  What A Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong!” 

And while he didn’t actually play any of those songs he did play right up until the 11pm curfew, despite starting fifteen minutes early, which was pretty cool.  And then he was gone, leaving all of us Lights and Loves in the crowd to make our way to thousands of little homes.  For me, I rode my bike along the canal to Harvey Street and kept the candle burning until the wee hours writing a glowing, cheesy review for the Bluesfest website.  Light and Love?  Lies and Beers.