Chester Thompson, a staggeringly awesome keyboardist, is given many opportunities to shine here, and Carlos himself, surely one of the most right-on brothers on the planet, excels on every single tune. The songs here range from sweet and pretty ("Wings of Grace," "Make Somebody Happy," "Esperando") to very hot ("Guajira," "Batuka," "Open Invitation") to jaw-droppingly amazing ("Spirits Dancing in the Flesh," which is a perfect demonstration of that escape-velocity ability, "Black Magic Woman," "Toussaint L'Overture").
Still, the joy on stage is almost palpable. I'd like to say that being back on his home turf seemed to energize Carlos & Co., but the fact of the matter is that this is a typically smoking Santana performance these guys always put out 100% wherever in the world they play. Recorded at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City in May 1993, "Sacred Fire" surely does deliver the goods.
I'm happy to report, however, that this concert DVD proved to be an adequate consolation prize. I have seen Santana around 30 times now, in as many years, but this year was disappointed by the band's no-show here in the NYC area. Within minutes of hitting the stage, Carlos and his bandmates are usually percolating at an intensity level that it takes most groups hours to achieve.if ever. No band that I know of achieves "escape velocity" faster than Santana.
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