Carlos Santana cancels Vegas residency following health scare

Carlos Santana has cancelled his upcoming Las Vegas residency dates following a recent health scare.

The legendary guitarist was scheduled to perform eight dates at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, beginning on Wednesday (December 8) – but he’s now announced that he will no longer be able to perform.

On Wednesday (December 1), Santana shared a video message in which he explained that he had experienced chest discomfort the previous Saturday (November 27) and asked his wife and bandmate Cindy Blackman Santana to take him to the hospital.

“Just wanted to share with you some clarity with specificity what’s been going on with my physicality,” he said in the video. “There’s been rumours flying around here and there about this and that. So, I’m here to just crystallise and make it clear. Last Saturday I had an incident where I asked my wife Cindy to take me to the hospital ’cause I had this thing happening in my chest.”

“So, when we went there we found out that I needed to take care of it,” he added. “So I am, and so I’m going to be taking time out for a little bit to make sure I replenish and I rest and catch up with my health so that when I play for you I would play the way I’m used to and give you 150 per cent. I wouldn’t show up unless I can do that. So other than that, I hope you and your family are enjoying good health, peace of mind, and joy. I know I will. Thank you for being a fan, and your oneness, and your caring. Peace.”

You can see Santana’s video message below:

Michael Vrionis, the president of Santana’s management company Universal Tone Management, said in a statement that the guitarist “had an unscheduled heart procedure that impacted his performance in Las Vegas” and added that he is “doing fantastic and is anxious to be back on stage soon. He profoundly regrets that this ‘speed bump’ necessitated the cancellation of his upcoming performances. He is looking forward to seeing you all very soon.”

Santana is expected back on stage on January 26, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Santana’s latest album, ‘Blessings And Miracles’, was released on October 15. It features the track ‘Move’, which sees him reunite with Rob Thomas for the first time in 22 years.

The duo’s first collaboration was their 1999 smash hit ‘Smooth’, which topped the US Billboard chart for 12 weeks and bagged the pair three Grammys: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.