Gig review: Santana in Auckland

It took Carlos Santana 20 minutes to utter his first words in this Auckland concert but they were sincere and flattering as he appraised his surroundings.

"Pristine," he said of New Zealand's glorious landscape. "Absolutely pristine."

He could have been talking of his own band, such was the sensational first stanza of a two-and-a-half hour extravaganza.

He'd started appropriately with Open Invitation and slipped through the classics Black Magic Woman and Oyo Como Vabefore producing a thunderous rendition of AC/DC's Back In Black.

After his brief breather to endorse New Zealand's "elegance and integrity" he took a tour through more old hits like Evil Ways but also the big numbers of his massive - and not so old -  Supernatural album with Maria Maria, Da Le Yaleo and Smoothstandouts with their beaty rhythms.

The 63-year-old Santana remains a huge musical force with his Latin influence crossing the borders for popularity.

A guitar genius, his skills were evident all night - some of his handwork was astonishing. But he was also happy to take a back seat - and why not when he has the backing of such a slick band.

There were nine of them at various stages, producing a huge sound and a smorgasbord of action for they eye, helped by some superb video work on the big screen.

The percussion division were outstanding, held together by the gum-chewing, bubble-blowing "Dr" Dennis Chambers on drums but with Karl Perazzo's stick-work the driving force in his frequent duels with Santana's guitar.

There was even a cameo from Carlos' new wife Cindy Blackman on the drums. She came on mid-show and thrilled in a funky combination with bassist Benny Reitveld. But she was soon left to her own devices, thumping the skins in a five-minute solo that received a rapturous standing ovation.

Not that there was much sitting to be done by the good-sized crowd in this heady mix of rock, blues and even jazz, all fused together with Santana's distinctive Latin feel.

This tour comes on the back of the band's latest album, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, hence the AC/DC number but even more impressively the tribute to Eric Clapton's work with Cream as Santana gave a soaring version of Sunshine Of Your Love.

But he remains an old hippy at heart - don't forget this guy started in 1967 and two years later strode the stage at Woodstock - and there was time for plenty of philosophy during the hypnotic A Love Supreme.While most of the night's singing was left to the energetic and smooth duo of Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay, Carlos himself took control here and wandered into a sermon that spelt out the need to "heal the planet, a poignant message in these worrying times and one that was well-received.

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