Santana is at an odd point in his career. Although the August 29th concert at the Saddledome was far from full, at about 7,000 people, he still draws too large of a crowd to play a smaller venue like the Jubilee Auditorium or Jack Singer Concert Hall. Yet to truly appreciate his work on the guitar, a more intimate venue is needed. Otherwise, it gets lost in space.

Touring in support of Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time the Santana band brought one of the tracks from the album out early, with AC/DC's Back in Black and later Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love. Aside from that, the show hit many points in his nearly 45 year and 21 albums.

For the songs with vocals, Santana spotlight Andy Vargas and Tony Lindsay stepped in for artists like Rob Thomas and Nas. They handled the vocals well enough, although they didn't outshine the star of the show.

There is no denying that Carlos Santana is an incredible talent. He can work the guitar like no other. Long rambling speeches, including a confusing ramble on how it was a great time to be alive, mentioning earthquakes, tsunamis and Hurricane Irene as reasons, because mother nature is resetting herself. Perhaps he should focus on playing music.

Some of the iconic contemporaries of Santana – Elton John, Rolling Stones for example – put on a performance that, even if you don't label yourself a "fan", you can still enjoy. Santana's show however, is best enjoyed by those that have followed him over the decades and thoroughly embrace and love him and his music. As a casual music lover, the evening tended to drag at times. For those that were there to absorb all that is Santana, they got what they came for.