Legendary Guitarist Carlos Santana Launches First Rock Residency Show in Las Vegas at The Joint

April 1, 2009

April 1, 2009 (Las Vegas, NV)- Signing on as the first rock and roll resident artist in Las Vegas, Carlos Santana brings his legendary talent to The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino through a multi-year deal with AEG Live.  Through 2010, The Joint will be the only place west of the Mississippi where fans can see Santana perform. Titled to pay homage to his most successful body of work to date, Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits debuts on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 and features the artist's signature fusion sound in a show designed exclusively for the new venue.

"Bringing Santana to The Joint at Hard Rock elevates the entertainment options in Las Vegas," said John Meglen, president & co-CEO of AEG Live/ Concerts West. "AEG Live set the standard for major residency shows in Vegas with Celine, Elton, Cher and Bette over at The Colosseum, and now we are setting the standard for rock and roll residencies with this new deal."

Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits will feature career-spanning classics inspired by a mix of practical spirituality, a rebel-from-the-street vibe and passionate, virtuoso guitar playing. The set list will include a nostalgic collection of touchstone tracks reaching back as far as the first charting single "Jingo" (1969) and first Top 10 hit "Evil Ways" (1970), up through the latest hit, "Into The Night." Naturally, Carlos Santana will be accompanied by his band members Chester Thompson (keyboards), Karl Perazzo (timbales), Benny Rietveld (bass), Dennis Chambers (drums), Raul Rekow (congas), Andy Vargas (vocals), Tony Lindsay (vocals), Tommy Anthony (rhythm guitar), Jeff Cressman (trombone) and Bill Ortiz (trumpet). The stage design and production will be created by Frank The Plumber, which recently designed Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour set.

"The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is thrilled to be the first to house a true rock resident show at our brand-new, state-of-the-art venue The Joint," said Randy Kwasniewski, president and COO of Morgans Hotel Group Las Vegas and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "We look forward to launching the new facility with quality concerts and Santana at the helm of our entertainment offerings."

"It is a great honor for Santana to be the first resident performer at the new Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.  Because I still live the principles of the 1960s, and because I'm a hippie at heart, "A Trip Through The Hits" is designed to bring everyone in the audience together as one," said Carlos Santana.  "I invite you to join our experience-we'll mix up a little practical spirituality with a rebel-from-the-street vibe, and with lots of incredible music.  My wish is for it to be a night that will move you to dance, to cry, to laugh and to feel the totality and fullness of being alive."

Best known for the group that bears his name, Carlos Santana has been reinventing the international musical landscape with the sonic charge of his guitar for nearly four decades. Over the course of his rewarding career, Santana has sold more than 90 million records, and performed to more than 100 million people globally. He has won eleven GRAMMY Awards. In 2000, his 36th album Supernatural became the most honored album of all time winning 9 Grammy's for a single project. In 1998, Santana was ushered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and since then has been recognized by Rolling Stone as among the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Santana has also won three Latin GRAMMY Awards, and in 2004, he received the Latin Recording Academy's prestigious "Person of the Year" honor.

Santana will play approximately 36 shows per year at The Joint, with a show time of 9 p.m. Tickets for performances through September go on-sale Wednesday, April 1. Prices range from $79-$299 and can be purchased at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000. For groups of 20 or more, call the Hard Rock Box Office at (702) 693- 5233. For more information, visit SupernaturalSantana.com.