Santana and the Doobie Brothers Pack El Paso’s Don Haskins Center With a Three-Hour Oneness Tour Set of Classic Rock, Singalongs and Memories
EL PASO, TX — The Doobie Brothers and Santana turned a rainy Sunday night into a full-scale nostalgia trip at the Don Haskins Center, drawing a nearly sold-out crowd for the Oneness Tour.
For three hours, the two Rock & Roll Hall of Fame acts leaned into the songs that made them staples of classic-rock radio, while fans spanning multiple generations sang along and filled the arena with steady energy.
The Doobies open with harmony, hits and a saxophone spark
The Doobie Brothers opened the show with a 75-minute set built around their tight harmonies and familiar hooks. Michael McDonald, Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and John McFee shared the vocals, with Marc Russo adding polished saxophone work throughout.
They bookended the set with material from Toulouse Street, starting with “Rockin’ Down the Highway” and closing with “Listen to the Music.” Along the way, they folded in covers and crowd favorites such as “Take Me in Your Arms,” “I Keep Forgettin’,” “Jesus Is Just Alright” and “What a Fool Believes.”
The band finished with “Long Train Runnin’,” “China Grove” and “Black Water,” giving the audience one last burst of singalong nostalgia before Santana took the stage.
Santana builds a longer jam from Woodstock roots and later classics
After a 30-minute setup, Santana launched into a 19-song set that ran 1 hour and 50 minutes. He opened with the first chords of Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” before sliding into “Soul Sacrifice,” a nod to the energy of Santana’s 1969 Woodstock-era breakthrough.
Seated on a stool, the 79-year-old guitarist led the band through “Jingo,” “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman,” “Oye Cómo Va,” “Samba Pa Ti” and other staples, while Cindy Blackman Santana delivered a standout drum solo and Gregg Rolie and Andy Vargas handled much of the vocal work.
Santana also paused to talk directly to the crowd, urging love, compassion, forgiveness and mercy. By the time the band worked through “No One to Depend On,” “She’s Not There” and other closing numbers, the arena was fully locked in.
Supernatural closes the night with the songs most fans came to hear
The final stretch of the concert focused on Santana’s late-1990s and early-2000s resurgence, especially material from Supernatural. Released in 1999, the album became his best seller, spent 12 weeks at No. 1 in the United States and helped define a new commercial peak for the band.
Rolie and Vargas took on parts associated with guests such as Michelle Branch and Maná, leading into “The Game of Love,” “Corazon Espinado” and “Maria Maria.” Santana ended the night with “Smooth,” the Rob Thomas collaboration that won three Grammy Awards and remains one of his signature crossover hits.
Even with the rain and long restroom lines, the crowd left energized. The combination of veteran musicianship, familiar hits and extended jams gave longtime fans exactly the kind of live-stand nostalgia the Oneness Tour promised.
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