Carlos Santana was joined on-stage at LONDON WEMBLEY ARENA last night (June 14) by Matchbox 20 singer ROB THOMAS for last year’s joint single ‘SMOOTH’.
Matchbox 20 guitarist Kyle Cook and keyboard player Ben Stivers also joined them on stage for a rendition of ‘Maggot Brain’ at the gig, which was the crowning date in a three-week European tour.
A spokesperson for Matchbox 20 said Cook in particular got the jitters when it was announced that Led Zeppelin axe-hero Jimmy Page was in the audience.
The Grammy-winning veteran rocker Santana, whose 1999 album ‘Supernatural’ has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide, first impacted on the world at Woodstock over 30 years ago, but collaborations such as the Matchbox 20 hook-up and a duet with Wyclef Jean on his new single, ‘Maria Maria’ have ushered in a new, younger audience.
He played to a packed Wembley Arena last night against a slide-show backdrop of what looked like Incan horoscope symbols, coupled with images of the moon.
Matchbox 20, meanwhile, headline a sold-out gig tonight at London Hammersmith Apollo and have a further two dates lined up this weekend: Manchester University (June 16) Glasgow Fruitmarket (June 18)
The band’s spokesperson said they deliberately decided not to schedule the Manchester date to avoid clashing with the England vs Germany football game. Support band for the three dates has just been confirmed this morning as Must, an unsigned London-based band.