Santana and the Doobie Brothers at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater

Getting to North Island Credit Union Amphitheater in Chula Vista

Any concert experience usually has two separate components: the journey to get to the venue, and the event itself. Getting to the North Island Credit Union Amphitheater in Chula Vista is difficult for even the most patient driver. After exiting the 805 freeway on Main Street, it took over an hour to drive about 5 miles to get to, and park in, the Premier Parking lot. After the show, it took almost 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot, and 15 more minutes to get to the freeway. The driver was my buddy Dennis, who swore that he would never do it again until he buys a motorhome to get there about 4 hours early, and stay until traffic clears afterwards. I agree, even though there are plenty of worthwhile concerts to see.

The long journey caused us to miss about the first 15-20 minutes of the Doobie Brothers set. We decided to buy the requisite overpriced tee-shirts first, and then found our seats.

The Doobie Brothers Set: Greatest Hits, True to the Records

The Doobie Brothers delivered a fine set of their greatest hits. The first song we heard was “It Keeps You Running.” They covered other crowd favorites like “Minute By Minute,” “Jesus Is Just Alright,” “What A Fool Believes” and “China Grove.” Most of the songs were true to the original studio version. My favorite was “Long Train Running,” which the band stretched and twisted into a creative jam. Their encores included the crowd sing-along songs “Black Water,” “Listen to the Music” and “Taking It To The Streets.”

The amphitheater’s acoustics produce crisp, clear sound. This is a band that I saw headline a show at the San Diego Sports Arena several times during their heyday in the 1970s. Although they have aged, the band still looks good, and plays with conviction.

Santana Opened With Woodstock Footage and “Soul Sacrifice”

After a very short stage transition, the large screens filled with pictures of dancers from different cultures. The screens changed into a very young Santana band playing at Woodstock. Their song at the time was “Soul Sacrifice,” and this was the opening number for the band. It morphed into “Jingo-lo-ba,” “Evil Ways” and “Black Magic Woman.” I knew that this would blend into “Oye Como Va,” which followed it on their classic Abraxas album.

Santana’s Setlist Leaned on the First Three Albums

There was an emphasis on music from Santana’s first 3 albums. Songs like “Everybody’s Everything,” “I Hope You’re Feeling Better” and “Everything Is Coming Our Way” weren’t songs which were common to earlier shows I had witnessed. Santana performed a delicate version of his instrumental “Samba Pa Ti.”

The 10-Piece Band: Cindy Blackman Santana, Benny Rietveld, Andy Vargas and Ray Greene

The 10-piece Santana band was well rehearsed and presented a tight unified sound. Carlos Santana’s wife Cindy Blackman Santana is an amazing drummer. She and bassist Benny Rietveld played a long duet that was entertaining and creative. The versions of “Maria Maria” and “Corazon Espinado” were stretched out, giving vocalists Andy Vargas and Ray Greene a chance to showcase their delivery in both English and Spanish. The band returned for a three song encore.