Review: ONENESS TOUR 2026 at Mystic Lake Amphitheater

Santana and The Doobie Brothers together at Mystic Lake Amphitheater made for a pretty great Thursday night.

The Doobie Brothers started the night, and honestly, they have so many recognizable songs that it didn't really feel like an opening set. Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons, John McFee and Michael McDonald sounded great together, and it was especially cool getting to hear McDonald's voice live.

"What a Fool Believes" and "Takin' It to the Streets" were two of my favorites. Then you have songs like "Long Train Runnin'," "China Grove," "Black Water" and "Listen to the Music." It's kind of crazy how many of their songs you know once you hear them back-to-back.

I also liked that they played newer music. They could easily go out and only play the hits every night, but they're still making new music and sharing it with audiences.

Santana came out next, and hearing Carlos Santana play guitar live was something I was really looking forward to.

There really isn't another guitar that sounds quite like his. You hear a few notes and immediately know it's Santana. I spent a lot of the show just watching him play.

The entire Santana band was great. There were guitars, keyboards and a ton of percussion, and everyone got a chance to show what they could do. I loved how much was happening musically without it ever feeling like too much.

The Latin influence also made Santana's part of the night feel completely different from The Doobie Brothers. There were times when it felt more like a party than a concert, especially when the percussion really kicked in.

Carlos didn't make the whole show about himself either. He gave the other musicians plenty of time to play and seemed happy just being up there making music with everyone.

I actually really liked having these two bands together. They have different sounds, but somehow it worked. The Doobie Brothers gave us all of those classic songs you want to sing along with, and Santana brought something completely different for the second half.

Both bands have been around for decades, but neither felt like they were simply going through the motions. They looked like they were having fun, and the crowd was having fun with them.

There was no need for a huge production or anything distracting from the music. These are musicians who can walk onstage, play songs people love and put on a great show.

Santana and The Doobie Brothers were a great pairing for an outdoor summer concert at Mystic Lake.
 

Photo courtesy of Santana

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