Michael Carabello & Chester Thompson Reunite With Santana At Shoreline

Santana returned home to the Bay Area last night for a concert at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The latest stop of the band’s Oneness Tour with Counting Crows saw original percussionist Michael Carabello sit in for all of Santana’s performance and longtime former member Chester Thompson play keys on four songs.

In 1966, guitarist Carlos Santana formed Santana with Carabello, drummer Danny Haro and bassist Sergio “Gus” Rodriguez. Michael Carabello played on Santana’s first three albums and was on percussion at the band’s legendary Woodstock set in 1969. Carabello parted ways with Santana in 1971 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Santana in 1998.

Santana went heavy on percussion at Shoreline as Carabello joined current members Karl Perazzo and Paoli Mejías on stage last night. Michael Carabello lent a hand for the entire career-spanning set and encore.

Chester D. Thompson — not to be confused with the one-time Santana drummer Chester Thompson who also performed with Frank Zappa, Weather Report, Genesis and many other acts — joined the band in 1983. Thompson left Santana in 2009, ending a 26-year run.

The former keyboardist replaced current member David K Mathews for performances of “Savor,” “Make Somebody Happy,” “Life Is For Living” and “(Da le) Yaleo.” Both “Savor” and “Life Is For Living” were 2024 debuts.

Watch fan-shot video from Santana’s Tuesday night concert at Shoreline below: