Rock icon brings back Las Vegas Strip residency
Melodies are prevailing over maladies for Carlos Santana.
The Woodstock legend is returning to House of Blues at Mandalay Bay for the first time since he called out of his performances Sept. 25-Oct. 6 because of back problems. He has also announced a double-album complement of dates for 2025.
The 77-year-old rock star has added 16 dates next year from January through May. He’s back this week, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Nov. 6-10.
Santana dropped his dates this fall to undergo a “corrective procedure” in his back, as announced by his wife and powerhouse drummer Cindy Blackman Santana.
This set of dates closes Santana’s 13th year at House of Blues. The guitar virtuoso has performed more dates at the venue than anyone, and also played more shows than anyone at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel – today’s Theater at Virgin Hotel.
Santana’s camp reports more than 300 shows at HoB and another 100 or so at The Joint/Virgin.
Santana has of course starred in many internationally famous venues, events and festivals dating to the ‘60s. Footage from his breakout performance at Woodstock is still part of his stage show.
This past April, Santana performed at Carnegie Hall for the New York Pops’ 41st birthday concert honoring the legendary record executive Clive Davis. Santana and Rob Thomas reunited for their 1999 smash “Smooth.”
“I can play anywhere,” Santana said at the time. “I can play a parking lot in Africa.”
Lights out
Particle Ink: House of Shattered Prisms performed its last show at Luxor on Monday night. Thus ended a seven-month run in the inspired enclave sandwiched between the food court and Atrium Showroom.
What used to be the hotel’s wedding chapel was refashioned as a house of whimsy. Particle Ink presented a unique, mixed-media mix of projection technology, original music and human performance. To me, its stay on Strip will always seem too short.
The show is not over, though. Look for Particle Ink to live on, beyond Las Vegas, next year.
That Dec. 30 collision
Dec. 30 has become a crash of top-line performances, among them Duran Duran, just announced one-off at Fontainebleau’s BleauLive Theater. It’s the same night Janet Jackson opens across the Strip at Resorts World Theatre, Afterlife’s Anyma “End of Genesys” EDM spectacle is staged at Sphere, Bruno Mars headlines Dolby Live and 50 Cent is in the middle of his NYE residency to PH Live.
The Duran Duran booking is the result of the band’s long relationship with Fontainebleau Senior Vice President of Entertainment Fedor Banuchi. The veteran entertainment official also signed the band at the Chelsea in his days at the Cosmopolitan.
Banuchi says the band is “an iconic household name.” Agreed. Up there with Bounty.
Tease this …
A popular Las Vegas Strip stage performer is calling it in a couple of weeks, ending a nearly 10-year run here and more than 15 years overall.
Cool Hang Alert
Wild West Wednesdays featuring Tomlinson Brown continues at Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails at the Cosmopolitan at 10 p.m. Wednesday (natch). They do music, and also cuts, really well at this place. No cover. Click to thebarbershoplv.com for intel.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.