User Reviews

Years back I remember seeing a couple of the musicians in this video in passing at a studio I worked at. They were talking shop with some of my coworkers who were part of the Bay Area music scene, and who also did some film/video production work. There was a brief and passing mention of a concert that was going to be filmed in Mexico with Santana. A job was tossed my way, but I had to refuse it for a variety of reasons.

Wow, how stupid was I? Looking at this concert I kick myself some, but I can still enjoy the experience via a DVD purchased many years later.

But, to the concert. Santana's in his element here, performing his favorites for people who know him best. His classics are played out in this excellent concert footage, which is actually an amalgamation of two different shows. Intercut with the concert are small vignettes of Santana performing in and around Mexico City. Included in this footage are faces of the people of Mexico.

I reviewed another Santana DVD that was shot here in the Bay Area. That one was a cavalcade of musicians of different styles performing their own stuff and some of Santana's well known pieces. Of the two I can't really pick and choose which I like better, but, if Santana alone is the criteria, then I'd pick this one, "Sacred Fire" as a pure Santana experience.

If you like great guitar spiced with Salsa and African overtones that characterizes Santana's forte, then, or heck, even if you just like good guitar (by that I mean non-distorted, clear chords with a clear harmony, melody and rhythm), then you must see and hear this DVD :-) Enjoy!

No band that I know of achieves "escape velocity" faster than Santana. Within minutes of hitting the stage, Carlos and his bandmates are usually percolating at an intensity level that it takes most groups hours to achieve...if ever. I have seen Santana around 30 times now, in as many years, but this year was disappointed by the band's no-show here in the NYC area. I'm happy to report, however, that this concert DVD proved to be an adequate consolation prize. Recorded at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City in May 1993, "Sacred Fire" surely does deliver the goods. I'd like to say that being back on his home turf seemed to energize Carlos & Co., but the fact of the matter is that this is a typically smoking Santana performance; these guys always put out 100% wherever in the world they play. Still, the joy on stage is almost palpable. The songs here range from sweet and pretty ("Wings of Grace," "Make Somebody Happy," "Esperando") to very hot ("Guajira," "Batuka," "Open Invitation") to jaw-droppingly amazing ("Spirits Dancing in the Flesh," which is a perfect demonstration of that escape-velocity ability, "Black Magic Woman," "Toussaint L'Overture"). Chester Thompson, a staggeringly awesome keyboardist, is given many opportunities to shine here, and Carlos himself, surely one of the most right-on brothers on the planet, excels on every single tune. No wonder the Mexican audience, to its great credit, is on its feet and boogying for the entire show; I wish my usual Jones Beach concert attendees were as unrestrained! This filmed concert both looks and sounds terrific; some nice camera work always helps these affairs. Though lacking any "extras" whatsoever, this DVD should more than please most Santana fans. I only have one more word to describe it: incendido!

A truly brilliant performance by Carlos and his band which show his guitar genius. While some criticize his collaborations with various other artists, it shows his versatility to mix with any and all types of music and his love of the music. The sound and video quality on this DVD is much better than most you see on the market today. Colorful as you would expect and versatile. This is another "must have" in any music collectors library. Great performances include "Oyo Como Va", "Open Invitation", "Soul Sacrifice" and of course "Europa". The DVD builds into a powerful crescendo which has made Carlos's Live Performances more than just memorable.