Veteran guitarist Carlos Santana collapsed on stage during a concert at the Pine Knob Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan on Tuesday night, according to social media posts and a video, but was quickly treated and seen waving to fans while he was taken off stage.
Sources say Santana was about 20 minutes into his set when he sat on the drum set at the beginning of the song “Joy” and then fell backwards. Medical personnel rushed to the scene and the crowd was initially “asked to pray for him due to a ‘serious medical’ issue,” according to a tweet from Fox2 Detroit’s Roop Raj. However, the musician’s condition apparently improved soon after and he waived off to fans as he was carried off stage, although he was partially hidden by a black tarp that staff held up to shield him from view while medical staff examined him. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Santana’s rep did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.
Last December, Santana, who turns 75 this month, underwent what his management described as an “unplanned” heart procedure that caused the postponement of this month’s Las Vegas residency. However, he resumed the residency the following month and in late March embarked on another North American tour that has continued ever since.
Carlos Santana waved to cheering fans as they helped him off the stage pic.twitter.com/YA55N4QCZe
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 6, 2022
Tuesday night’s incident happened during Santana’s “Miraculous Supernatural 2022” summer tour with Earth, Wind & Fire, which kicked off June 17 and is scheduled to run through the end of August. Just two weeks later, the musician is set to resume his long-running residency at the House of Blues in Las Vegas through the end of September before continuing for another two weeks in November.
Along with the tour, Santana is also working with director Rudy Valdez on an upcoming biographical documentary produced by Imagine Documentaries and Sony Music Entertainment.
A native of Mexico, Santana began playing guitar as a child and later moved with his family to California. He formed the first incarnation of the Santana Blues Band in San Francisco in 1966, and the following year performed at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival. There his set was seen by Clive Davis, who had recently become president of Columbia Records; under his guidance and that of top promoter Bill Graham, Santana’s fusion of rock and Latin music became an unexpected chart success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with singles such as “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va .” However, as the 1970s progressed, Santana became more interested in jazz-oriented musical styles and spiritual pursuits, both of which continue to this day.
He enjoyed a steady recording and touring career over the next two decades before reuniting with Davis in 1999, who helmed his blockbuster, more pop-oriented album Supernatural, which featured Santana with guest vocalists such as Rob Thomas – their joint single, “Smooth” was one of the biggest hits of the era – as well as Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, Mana and Silo Green. The album effectively relaunched his career and gave him a strong set of new material to tour after. In the years since, he has toured regularly and released albums every few years.
Carlos Santana just collapsed mid-concert at Pine Knob, Clarkston Mi pic.twitter.com/Uchy3ugwMS
— Jo-Ann Barnas (@JoAnnBarnas) July 6, 2022
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