This performance by Santana in 1970 is a percussionist’s wet dream. Drummers Michael Shrieve, Jose Areas, Coke Escovedo and Michael Carabello catch fire as David Brown’s hard-driving bass keeps everything anchored to a groove as deep as the Grand Canyon.

Carlos Santana - guitar, vocals
Gregg Rolie - keyboards, piano, lead vocals
David Brown - bass
Michael Shrieve - drums
Jose “Chepito” Areas - percussion, conga, timbales
Mike Carabello - percussion, conga, vocals
Thomas “Coke” Escovedo - percussion

Lenox, Massachusetts. Santana’s opening act was Miles Davis!
 

 
A righteous 1971 Santana performance from Germany’s Beat Club TV show, featuring an extremely youthful looking Neil Schon (later of Journey) who was probably all of 17-years-old when this was recorded. Schon’s parents let him drop out of high school to join the group. He famously turned down Eric Clapton’s offer to join Derek and the Dominos as Carlos Santana had asked him to join his band first. Santana III often saw Schon taking the lead guitar parts over the band’s leader.

Schon and Santana keyboardist Greg Rolie would both leave the group to form Journey the following year.