Photos and review by Nicole Sepulveda
@__nik__pics

On August 8, 2026, the Doobie Brothers and Santana took the stage once again at the Toyota Amphitheater for their Oneness Tour. As a co-headlining tour, we were blessed to have a full set performed by two legendary bands (though the Doobie Brothers have performed alongside Santana on a couple of songs in other locations, they skipped the collaborative performance here).

Having known each other since the early ’70s, both bands originate from the Bay Area, making this stop, and the Shoreline show, a bit of a homecoming. The packed house consisted of a crowd spanning 3–4 generations of music lovers, dancing and singing together despite the triple-digit heat.

First to play were the Doobie Brothers, kicking off their set with “Rockin’ Down the Highway”… and kept the hits coming with “Jesus Is Just Alright,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Long Train Runnin’,” “Black Water,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” and “Listen to the Music” (there are so many classics!!!). Founding members, Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston, alongside their long-time bandmates, Michael McDonald and John McFee, still have amazing range and harmonies, keeping the energy up song after song. My parents and in-laws were in the crowd that night, and I think I saw my mom dancing through the entire set with the rest of the section they were in.

Santana’s set started with old-school Latin percussion with songs “Soul Sacrifice” and “Evil Ways,” then evolved with some bluesy guitar work before ending with his pop-rock collaborations like “Maria Maria” and “Smooth” to close out the show. The way the songs transitioned, it felt like one long jam session. Stage lighting by Michael Ledesma lit up the night sky with vibrant colors that accentuated the beats and guitar solos. This was paired with a large screen in the middle of the stage that displayed vintage footage of Santana, psychedelic abstract art, and live close-ups of the band. A highlight for me was the bass solo in the middle of the set by Benny Rieveld, which felt more like a duet with drummer (and wife of Carlos Santana) Cindy Blackman Santana.

To be honest, I was on my feet dancing for the majority of the night with the rest of my family. This is the third time I’ve seen the Doobie Brothers and Santana tour together: the first was in San Francisco with Journey and the Steve Miller Band in 2016, and then again in 2019 at Toyota Amphitheater with my husband and father-in-law. At this point, seeing these bands together has become a bit of a family tradition. Whenever they come around again, individually or together, I’ll be there, ready to “Listen to the Music.”