In awe of Santana

Is it possible to be at a guitar legend's concert and occasionally forget that said legend is on stage?

It is indeed, if the rest of the band delivers stellar performances that mesmerize with talent and vitality.

Carlos Santana's packed show April 19 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont was a two-and-a-half-hour dynamic tour de force that spanned selections from the veteran guitarist's four-decade career.

With his brand of Latin rock infused with blues, jazz, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and a little reggae, the Mexican- born Santana delivered his trademark electric guitar solos with riveting skill.

The set list included world-famous hits like the sultry "Black Magic Woman" and the vivacious "Oye Como Va," both from 1971, and the more recent "Corazon Espinado" and "Maria Maria" from the 1999 album "Supernatural," which propelled him back into stardom.

But true fans were not disappointed, for selections like "Jingo," "No One to Depend On" and "Soul Sacrifice," which he famously played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, also made the cut.

His 10-member band included players of great talent like Dennis Chambers on drums, Raul Rekow on congas and percussion and Bill Ortiz on trumpet, all of whom delivered engaging and energetic performances.

On vocals were Tony Lindsay, with a velvety, almost Motown-like voice, and Andy Vargas, whose sensual Latin tones delivered a nice twist on songs like "Smooth," originally performed by the edgier Rob Thomas.

The pinnacle of the show was an intense rendition of Bob Marley's "Exodus" with virtuoso slide guitarists Derek Trucks, whose self-named band had opened the show. Santana and Trucks, also a member of The Allman Brothers Band, played and improvised off each other in a performance that guitar enthusiasts are likely to remember for a long time.

The 60-year-old Santana, a diminutive man whose oversized red sweater seemed to almost swallow him, was at times an unobtrusive presence on stage, playing on the side with hunched shoulders as if in private conversation with his guitar.

But whenever he took center stage -- sometimes with bursts of impromptu dancing -- he never failed to awe with his spellbinding command of his instrument.

With minimal visual gimmicks, the show was a throwback to down-to-earth concerts that don't rely on anything but basic lighting effects and great music - no surprise, when you're in the presence of talent of such caliber.