Santana/Los Lonely Boys Save American Music Awards.

A mere hour and forty-three minutes into the crap that made up the American Music Awards to that point, Carlos Santana and Los Lonely Boys saved the evening with a stirring version of "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love". The song featured some tasty fills by Carlos as LLB guitarist Henry Garza sang the verses, then went into some biting back-and-forth interplay with the legend during the solo spot. They ended the song with some nice harmony lines and flurries to a standing ovation.

Carlos Santana is one of the people who taught me how to play the guitar (and one I will profile in more detail when I get around to compiling my all-time top ten guitarists list). His ability to play fiery yet passionate solos, as well as slow, melodic passages never fails to give me chills. Whether it is early songs like Soul Sacrifice, Europa, Samba Pa Ti, or more recent songs like Maria Maria or Put Your Lights On, Carlos has the ability to put his personal stamp on things. His tone is immediately recognizable, as it is with all the greats, so it was nice to see the plastic, trendy music industry throw a bone to a true natural music resource.

Now I can see what kind of crap is on the Sci-Fi channel...