Isaac and I had the amazing privilege of attending the Carlos Santana concert here in Costa Rica last Wednesday. We went with a friend, Brett, from San Francisco. It was held in the Saprissa futbol (soccer) stadium a few blocks away from our house. To be honest, neither of us knew a whole lot about him or his music. Of course, we have been hearing his name for all our lives and we each could name about one song that we could attribute to Carlos.

It just so happens that last week I was reading a magazine interview with Santana (in “What Is Enlightenment” magazine from their March-May 2005 issue) that really gave me an idea about who this guy is as a person. It also made me really want to hear his music. So when I heard that he was going to be performing a couple blocks from here that same week, I took it as a sign that I needed to go!

In the interview, Santana talked about the goal of his music and purpose of his life. He said, “It’s not just to make people happy or make them dance. It’s to change things – so that we can have a clearer vision of our life and ourselves, so there won’t be so much disharmony in the world.”

It was clear from his music and from the brief time he took to speak to the crowd that he takes his purpose seriously. And the crowd took well to his messages of love, freedom, and non-violence. It was a fun-filled night for sure. If you ever have the chance to take in a concert, you won’t be disappointed!