“Make every day the best day of your life.” We’ve all probably heard it said, but it’s not often that we see get to see the person saying it actually doing it.

And that’s exactly what guitarist Carlos Santana did when, accompanied by his extensive band of musicians, he performed here last Sunday.

Not only that, but he also succeeded in making it as great a day for the thousands present at the MFCC as it was for the band onstage.

This was evident from the huge roar that emanated from the crowd the minute the house lights went down; the first notes of opening number Spark of the Divine opening the floodgates for an evening that, for the most part, had the crowd dancing along to the music, regardless of whether they were in the seated or standing areas.

Such is the effect of Santana’s signature sound – a remarkable blend of Latin warmth and rock essence on his part, and an eagerness to have fun and be part of the concert on ours.

Strangely enough, despite this concert being part of his Guitar Heaven tour, Santana only played two numbers off his latest album, namely AC/DC’s Back in Black and Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love.

While these two numbers served their purpose in rocking the venue, it was the more vintage cuts from Santana’s extensive repertoire that drew the biggest applause and response from the crowd. Classic tracks such as Black Magic Woman, Oye Como Va, Jingo and Foo Foo worked wonders in getting the audience on their feet, as did the more recent pop hits Maria Maria, Corazon Espinado and Smooth.

While much of the focus leading up to the concert focused on Santana – and rightfully so because he is after all, the man around whom this whole set-up revolves – the actual performance is way bigger than the man in the middle.

The defining Latin flavour in his guitar work is naturally a big part of what Santana is about, but the concert’s success is just as much a result of his talent as it is of the amazing line-up of musicians behind and around him.

Boasting three inventive percussionists, a mighty (and truly amazing) drummer, a nimble-fingered bassist, a versatile guitarist-cum-backing vocalist, brass duo, an absolutely vital keyboard player, two energetic lead singers and, of course, his own wife Cindy (who stepped in long enough to expertly thrash the living daylights out of the drumkit for the best part of 10 minutes), Santana the band is far bigger than the sum of its parts.

The energy in the venue was so charged I doubt anyone realised the band gave a solid (almost) three-hour-long performance. It’s probably why so many people came away feeling this was one of the best live concerts we’ve had on the island in years.