Santana about to bring South-of-the-Border music North

By Jacob Zinn
[contributor] 

Later this month, Carlos Santana will bring his Latin-infused brand of electric guitar-fuelled rock n’ roll to Vancouver.

The 64 year-old virtuoso will return to Rogers Arena with his band, Santana, on Saturday, Aug. 27 for the first of four Canadian dates on their 2011 West Coast Tour. He’ll be bringing Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band known for blending hip-hop, funk, reggae and jazz into their own style of music.

Santana is touring on 2010’s Guitar Heaven, a cover album of legendary rock songs featuring guest vocals by such artists as Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. It includes kick-down-the-door performances of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” the Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” all with thick tones and heavy distortion while still maintaining Santana’s smooth, flawless sound.

A few insiders hint at some red-hot blues covers that the audience will surely recognize… but we’re not telling.

Don’t count out the classics—Santana’s sure to play “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va,” as well as recent chart-toppers like “Smooth” and “Into the Night.” With over four decades of original, Grammy Award-winning singles, he’ll have more than enough hits to fill a soul-strumming two-hour set.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster and range from $37.25 to $102.25.