Santana will celebrate two important anniversaries in the band’s history on its upcoming tour: the 20th anniversary of their blockbuster Supernatural album and the 50th anniversary of their legacy-making performance at Woodstock. The trek, dubbed Supernatural Now, will kick off this June with a gig in Phoenix and snake across the U.S. before wrapping in August in Long Island, New York. The gigs will include a stop at Live Nation’s Woodstock 50th anniversary tribute concert in Bethel, New York. The Doobie Brothers will serve as special guests on all dates.
“Both were monumental moments in my life,” Carlos Santana said in a statement. “Woodstock and Supernatural took me to places I never dreamed were possible. I embraced those incredible moments in my life with all my heart. Both were supreme lessons in maintaining focus, heart and integrity in every step every day and to strive to better oneself with a high standard on and off the stage.”
Tickets will go on sale starting January 25th at LiveNation.com, with the musician planning on bringing his show to Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealand next year.
The tour also follows the release of a new EP, In Search of Mona Lisa, which Carlos says was inspired by a 2016 visit to the Louvre — his first in 50 years of touring. At the museum, he felt the painting speak to him. “I hear this voice say, ‘Hi’ — and I’m not making this up, like in telepathy — and I go ‘Hi,’” he recently told Rolling Stone. “The voice goes, ‘Remember me, when we were lovers in another time?’ And I was like, ‘Whoa.’” The Rick Rubin-produced release features three tracks on which Carlos meditates on his connection with Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece.
Santana also reflected on his experience at Woodstock in the interview. “I remember Crosby, Stills and Nash saying, ‘We’re scared shitless to play in this many people,’” he said. “I don’t even remember being afraid. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and if we didn’t play then, we weren’t going to play. I was totally on mescaline, which is like LSD, and I could hardly quantize anything with solidness. Everything was kind of in an amoeba state.” For his return to Woodstock, he’s planning on inviting all of the surviving Woodstock performers to play with him, as well as artists from younger generations. “Santana’s very interested, like Miles Davis, into connecting with people from 7 years old to under 33,” he said. “I don’t want to be just like a jukebox in the twilight zone, stuck in the Sixties.”
Santana Tour Dates
June 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 23 – San Diego, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
June 26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
June 27 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre
June 29 – Seattle, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
June 30 – Portland, OR @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
July 2 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
July 3 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
July 6 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
July 9 – Austin, TX @ Austin360 Amphitheater
July 11 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
July 12 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
August 3 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
August 4 – Chicago, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
August 6 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
August 7 – Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center
August 9 – Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
August 10 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
August 11 – Detroit, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 13 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
August 14 – Washington, DC @ Jiffy Lube Live
August 16 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
August 18 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
August 20 – Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center
August 21 – Hartford, CT @ XFINITY Theatre
August 23 – Saratoga, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 24 – Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
August 25 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater