Santana, Doobie Brothers rock nostalgia in impressive fashion at Acrisure Amphitheater

The stars were out Monday in Grand Rapids, with Santana and The Doobie Brothers heating up a gorgeous night at Acrisure Amphitheater. The review and photos.

 

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In the first-ever classic rock concert at Acrisure Amphitheater, Santana and The Doobie Brothers brought their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame credentials to Grand Rapids and demonstrated that they remain among the best bands of their era still on the road.

It’s been dubbed the Oneness Tour, but – casting humility aside – “Greatness” could have just as easily applied, as the legendary acts wowed a near-sellout audience Monday at the new, 12,000-capacity venue during a beautiful June night ideal for a bit of nostalgia.

Both bands have enjoyed remarkable routes to the present day from their California roots more than five decades ago: Santana emerging from the San Francisco Bay Area scene, while The Doobie Brothers found their way from nearby San Jose.

Bandleader Carlos Santana, most notably, has transformed his career several times since his pivotal appearance at Woodstock in 1969. He has collaborated with so many people over the years that it might be easier to list the people with whom he has not played than those he has.

The Doobie Brothers, meanwhile, stretch back to the Vietnam War era. Like Santana, the band has undergone various musical transformations as members have come and gone, only to return over the years.

On the surface, the two groups might seem like they have little in common musically, but they actually share much, which is why the current tour is not the first time the two bands have toured together.

Santana spoke about their shared bond during his band’s set at the new downtown riverfront venue. “It’s a real joy and honor to share the stage with them,” he said following The Doobie Brothers’ opening set. “There’s something about both bands that brings together three things that I love: unity, harmony, and oneness.”

Indeed, both groups showed the tight musicianship that only comes from years and years of touring.

The Doobie Brothers are led by group co-founders Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, along with fellow longtime guitarist John McFee. The band also features the inimitable talents of Michael McDonald, whose arrival in 1975 helped the group evolve from biker band to crooners of cool, crossover pop that blended rock and R&B.

They opened their Monday night set by quickly energizing the crowd with the high-intensity “Rockin’ Down the Highway” and “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” before settling down a bit with two numbers from the “Minute by Minute album: “Depending on You” and “Here to Love You.”

The Doobies kicked things back up a notch with “Walk This Road,” the title track from the band’s most recent studio album – the band’s sixteenth but only the second since 1980 to feature McDonald (who also appeared on 2010’s Southbound). “Michael wrote the song, but we’re all going to sing it together,” Simmons said.

The new song followed a familiar formula for the band – McDonald or one of the other members would carry the lead and the rest of the band would join in the chorus for those unmistakable 4-part harmonies that distinguish so many of the band’s hits: “It Keeps You Runnin’,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Long Train Runnin'” and “China Grove.”

“Jesus Is Just Alright” was a testimony to the band’s staying power as countless arms in the crowd swayed with the religious fervor of rock ‘n’ roll believers. If an instrumental cover of “Amazing Grace” led anyone to misinterpret their efforts, the band quickly set everyone straight with a rollicking “Takin It to the Streets.”

The Doobie Brothers closed their 16-song, 75-minute set with “Listen to the Music,” an unofficial anthem of sorts that added the finishing touch to a solid showing of the band’s trademark stylings.

A ‘SUPERNATURAL’ SET AND VIBE FROM SANTANA

Santana opened its portion of the evening with a five-minute video montage of various indigenous people backed by the rhythmic, percussion-driven sounds that have informed the music of Santana through its excursions into rock, jazz, soul, and blues.

The documentary-like intro set up the opening jam, built on three numbers from Santana’s career-defining Woodstock appearance: “Soul Sacrifice,” “Jin-go-lo-ba,” and “Evil Ways.”

Dressed in a wide-brimmed hat, colorful tunic, and track pants, Carlos Santana at age 78 is content to primarily function as a bandleader rather than a fiery guitar soloist, sitting as often as he is standing, typically facing a fellow musician as his foil.

His eight-piece band includes a pair of singers, Ray Greene and Andy Vargas, who did an admirable job of tackling the various vocal parts that have distinguished many of Santana’s most popular numbers, from the golden oldies to the contemporary.

Tommy Anthony, who also contributed vocals, was a steadying force on rhythm guitar, as was David K Mathews, whose keyboard playing provided a lot of additional color. Bassist Benny Rietveld, who held down the bottom end, played a solo that incorporated a bit of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind,” which happened to coincide with some unusual histrionics by his bandleader.

Armed with a can of bug spray, Santana could be seen waving the device like a crazy Leonard Bernstein. During a break in the music, he explained. “At first, I thought they were angels, but they’re freaking mosquitoes,” he complained. “I must be really sweet.”

The angel reference was in keeping with Santana’s quasi-religious beliefs, which blend Christianity, Eastern spirituality, and New Age mysticism – something he spoke about during his Grand Rapids performance.

“I feel really happy to be living at this time of the planet because I’m witnessing more and more people waking up to show compassion, kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. We’re finally accepting that we are beings of light. We are divinity; we are divine.

“Everyone here is worthy to receive the highest blessings and miracles. It is important to understand you are significant, you are meaningful. Look in the mirror and say the things that I say. ‘God loves me. He believes in me and is proud of me.’ You can be successful in all you do. Accept that you have light in you.”

The expression of his philosophy set the stage for some of his best soloing of the night during “Samba pa ti,” the iconic guitar instrumental that features his almost-supernatural sustain – that distinctive tone of long, cosmic guitar licks that crystallize the Santana sound.

If the Doobie Brothers sound is structured, the Santana sound is more organic, much looser, which is why drummer Cindy Blackman Santana is so crucial to holding everything together. Along with percussionists Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejias at her sides, Santana’s better half (the couple married in 2010) is responsible for driving the band’s distinctive Latin-influenced sound.

The balance of Santana’s set featured a mix of fan favorites, both old and new – “Black Magic Woman,” “Toussaint L’Ouverture,” Maria Maria,” “Foo Foo,” and “Put Your Lights On” – as well as a few select covers, including The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” and a smashup of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” with The Beatles’ “Come Together.”

By the time Santana closed its 110-minute show with “Smooth,” the megahit from the band’s chart-topping 1999 album, it was clear that if the years are slowing Santana the man, there is still something supernatural about Santana the band.

NEXT UP AT ACRISURE AMPHITHEATER: Godsmack performs at 7 p.m. tonight (June 16). Tickets, $36.60 to $111.05, available online here.

PHOTO GALLERY: Santana, The Doobie Brothers at Acrisure Amphitheater
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker

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