Carlos Santana Passes out Mid-Concert, Described as 'Severe Medical Emergency'

By Daniel S. Levine

Carlos Santana is "doing well" after passing out from heat exhaustion during a concert in Clarkston, Michigan on Tuesday night. The guitarist, 74, is being treated at a hospital near the concert venue. A show scheduled for Wednesday night at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania was postponed.

Santana was "overtaken by heat exhaustion and dehydration" during his performance at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, his representative said in a statement. "The guitar great was taken from his show at Pine Knob Music Theatre (formerly DTE Energy Music Theatre), an outdoor amphitheater in Clarkston, some 40 miles northwest of Detroit, Michigan." Santana was taken to the emergency room at McLaren Clarkston hospital "for observation and is doing well," his rep said.

Photos from the concert quickly surfaced on social media. Fox2 meteorologist Lori Pinson was there, and reported Santana collapsed while performing his new song "Joy." She published a photo of medical personnel surrounding Santana on the stage. He collapsed around 40 minutes into the show. It was about 85 degrees when he collapsed, although Pinson noted humidity levels made it feel closer to 90. Music journalist Gary Graff reported Santana was taken offstage on a stretcher about 20 minutes after he collapsed.

Tour manager Paul "Skip" Rickert told the crowd the concert was ending and asked for prayers. "Ladies and gentlemen as you can see have a severe medical emergency," he explained, reports Ultimate Classic Rock. "Let's share our prayers… We need it right now… Please send your light and love to this man."

Santana's performance was part of his Miraculous Supernatural 2022 tour, alongside fellow music icons Earth, Wind, and Fire. Their tour itinerary includes performances through August. The setlist includes tracks from his latest album, Blessings and Miracles, which was released in October 2021. The studio recording of "Joy" on the album features country music star, Chris Stapleton.

Santana previously postponed shows that the House of Blues Las Vegas in December when he had an "unscheduled heart procedure." In a video message to fans, Santana said he asked his wife Cindy to take him to the hospital because he had "this thing happening in my chest."

"So when we went there, we found out that I needed to take care of it. So I am, and I'm going to be taking time off for a little bit to make sure I replenish, and I rest and I catch up with my health so that when I play for you, I will play the way I'm used to and give you 150 percent," Santana told fans in December, reports PEOPLE. "I wouldn't show up unless I could do that."

The postponed shows were rescheduled for January. However, Santana was forced to cancel Las Vegas shows in February after he and other members of his team tested positive for COVID. "I profoundly regret that this has happened, but our priority is to keep our fans safe as we all navigate thru this," Santana wrote.  

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