Playing Santana properly requires infrastructure. The fusion of rock, blues, jazz, salsa, and reggae that Carlos Santana calls “The Universal Tone” demands multiple dedicated percussionists, a Hammond organ, and a full vocal section that most touring acts can’t staff. Shaman – The Santana Experience brings all of it to the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda on Saturday, May 8: a 10-member lineup built to execute the catalog at full scale.
About the Show
Returning for a second engagement after playing the Riviera on April 3, 2026, Shaman has framed its mission as delivering “the most authentic version of the Santana music catalog.” The roster is built around that standard, with members who have worked in the music industry since the late 1960s and instrumentation chosen to match the source recordings: Paul Reed Smith guitars, Hammond organ, and traditional Latin percussion. Jeff Mohr handles guitar and nylon string guitar; Ken MacDougal covers Hammond organ, keyboard, and piano; Hal Ketofsky plays bass; and three dedicated percussionists (Izzy Arroyo on congas, Frank Conicella on congas and bongos, and Chuck Schaffer on timbales and bongos) play alongside drummer John Ciliberto. Marian Conicella, Peter Ortiz, and Abe Papi Brem round out the ensemble on vocals, strings, horns, and additional percussion.
That 10-player roster exists because the catalog demands it. Santana’s music broke through at Woodstock in 1969, with the debut album Santana producing the Top 10 single “Evil Ways.” Abraxas followed in 1970, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and yielding “Oye Como Va” and “Black Magic Woman.” The 1999 comeback album Supernatural produced the No. 1 hit “Smooth” and swept the Grammys in 2000, earning multiple wins including Album of the Year. Santana was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and received Kennedy Center Honors in 2013. Shaman was a 2021 semi-finalist in the WMGK Classic Rock Houseband Competition in Bensalem, PA, and has toured the Northeast steadily across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The May date follows stops in Wayne, PA in January and Fort Lee, NJ in April.
Venue & Logistics
The Riviera Theatre is at 67 Webster St in North Tonawanda, a reliable stop on the western New York live music circuit. A theater-format room, it suits an act that spreads this many musicians across a stage — ten people up front need proper room, and the Riviera provides it. The show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $22. Buy tickets