Rod Stewart and Carlos Santana have both been rocking the stage since the 1960s, but it wasn’t until recently that these two titans of rock joined forces. Luckily for fans, it was worth the wait when the pair teamed up at Stewart’s show on “I’d Rather Go Blind” at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Stewart opened the song by singing a smoky and low-key vocal on the 1967 soul classic, while Santana snaked around Stewart’s voice with his signature guitar licks.
Before launching into the song, Stewart told the crowd, “This is a song that me and Ronnie Wood recorded back in 1971 over one bottle of wine and three takes.” Stewart and Santana’s live cut of the song was quite different, though, with the Latin rocker’s approach to the lead guitar parts being night and day compared to Wood’s blues licks. The Music Man readers may want to tune in to 3:30 in the video where Santana really goes to town on the solo with a brilliant and unconventional approach.
Stewart and Santana teaming up was well received online by fans, who viewed the video 24 million times on YouTube. Fans left comments below the video such as “Rod Stewart and Carlos Santana = Masterpiece and just simply amazing. These two icons and musicians are having a good time and making memories for the world to enjoy” and “Carlos Santana is a superb guitarist! A monster on the stage plus the legendary Rod Stewart. Wow!”
Stewart and Santana teamed up for their first performance together ever on May 6, 2014, at the Colosseum Theater. The show was part of a co-headline tour the two rockers performed across the US that year. Stewart sure knows how to get some big-name talent onstage at his shows, as he also welcomed Cyndi Lauper in 2017 to sing a duet on “This Old Heart of Mine Live.”
Rod Stewart’s cover of “I’d Rather Go Blind” is a deep cut that was included as the eighth track of his fourth solo album Never a Dull Moment. The album features Ronnie Wood on guitar, who co-wrote three of the songs on the release with Stewart.
The writing of “I’d Rather Go Blind” is credited to Ellington Jordan, Etta James, and Billy Foster. Etta James first recorded the blues and soul number in 1967. James’ version of the song was certified Silver in the UK, and the tune has since been recorded by a number of artists.
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