Santana jams with Carabao during Bangkok stopover
By Cole Pennington


Photo: BEC-TERO

BANGKOK: -- A crowd peppered with ponytails, bandanas and cowboy hats filled Impact Arena last night as Carlos Santana delivered a set of soulful tunes to the countrymen and women of Thailand.

Prior to Santana’s energetic performance, local legend Carabao took the stage. As he did so, a bevy of hands shot up, flashing the popular Carabao sign – a thumb and pinky outstretched to resemble buffalo horns. These slowly turned to revolutionary fists, which struck the air along with the beat as the band played its popular “songs for life.”

Santana opened with an instrumental intro that explored different musical genres from around the world before switching gears to focus on his signature, Latin-influenced guitar solos. After Santana had played a few lesser-known songs, the crowd started getting up and dancing to the popular “Maria Maria.”

To keep the energy up, Santana called Carabao onstage for a duel performance of the song “Exodus,” by reggae legend Bob Marley. Carlos and Carabao’s guitarist performed a series of call-and-response guitar solos that provoked tremendous applause from the crowd. There were moments when a certain disconnect between the two popular singers became apparent, especially when Santana urged Carabao to take the microphone and sing a verse of “Exodus,” to which the latter replied, “I don’t know what to sing!”

Full story: http://www.coconutsbangkok.com/arts-and-entertainment/santana-jams-with-carabao-during-bangkok-stopover/


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-03-07

Video of the song here:

I have seen Santana with the Grateful Dead at Angels Camp California 1986, he is truly a gifted musician.

Carlos did the same thing with Mason Rufner in his 2011 show when he called him on stage to jam the song Mason wrote for him with the latter rather confused about what he was supposed to be doing and when. Anyway it was a good show and Lek Carabao stood his ground with some impressive guitar solo licks while duelling with Carlos.

It might have gone on a bit late for some baby boomers because I noticed quite a few empty seats during the last song that were not all accounted for by people moving to the front to dance.

what a lame ass crowd!!