It was the 2018 implosion of the 12-story Lifeway Tower with the giant crucifix affixed to its side that made way for the Santana concert. Once the rubble was cleared construction began in earnest on the Nashville Yards project - a 19-acre mixed-use development that when completed will feature high-end hospitality offerings which already includes a Grand Hyatt and the historic Union Station. Nashville Yards will comprise of over 2 million square feet of Class-A office space to house Amazon, Creative Artists Agency and Pinnacle in the future.

Ray Greene - one of two Santana vocalists - delivered the goods in Music City.

However, in the beginning there was Santana at Woodstock whose legendary performance there set him up to become an iconic star for the ages. Many of the songs played in 1969 and the 1970's are still in Santana's high-powered setlists.

In Nashville, they opened with the percussion heavy "Soul Sacrifice" paired with videos of tribal drumming which was replaced with clips of Carlos at Woodstock then cool camera angles of the various drum and percussion kits which are a big part of Santana's sound. Visuals were used effectively throughout the concert to enhance the vibe.

David K Mathews lit it up on keys all night long.

Staying with the early years, we were treated to "Jin-go-lo-ba" aka "Jingo", "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen" "and Oye cómo va" which gave Carlos ample opportunity to grace fans with his signature guitar leads. Santana implied that he is still a weed-smoking hippie for whom peace and love was more than a passing fancy - it represents the man and his music to the core.

"It gives me great joy to remind you from the center of my heart that you are worthy. You are priceless, you're precious, you're significant and meaningful," Santana began as he greeted the audience at The Pinnacle about midway through the show. Like Moses before him - who climbed the summit of Mount Sinai - Santana clearly came to Nashville armed with a message of his own to impart to his followers.

Carlos came armed with all the licks in Nashville.

"Don't let no one, or any book or anything tell you that you're not worthy of God's grace," preached Santana, continuing, "I respect people's beliefs. I just don't follow godzilla. I follow God which is compassion, mercy and above all - kindness."

However, it was not all warm and fuzzy tie-dyed rainbows and unicorns. Santana warned the audience that we in America need to seek the light within each other in order to stave off a very possible and "tangible" nuclear conflict with the likes of Russia, China and North Korea. Short of these heavy remarks Carlos was content with letting the music do the talking for most of the band's nearly two-hour set in Music City.

Santana's songs have always been a cross culture of styles and he continues to collaborate and surround himself with talented people including his wife Cindy Blackman who had a number of dazzling drum solos during the night. Cindy has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela Bofill, Buckethead, Bill Laswell, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Henderson and Joss Stone.

Bassist Benny Rietveld on stage at The Pinnacle.

Santana had a career revival in the 80's but his true second coming was reserved for the 1990's - and like the SBC's expectation of a returning Jesus - Carlos made sure his reemergence was nothing short of Supernatural (1999) – and on a personal note that is still one of our all-time favorite records ever. The band presented animated versions of "Maria Maria", "Put Your Lights On" with its spiritual message and for the encore "Smooth" all from that Grammy award winning album.

For all of the talk about peace and love, it was perhaps a lesser-known song late in the set that let us know that Carlos isn't against taking up arms if the cause is just. They presented the musically pleasing "Toussaint L'Ouverture" about the Haitian general who helped defeat Napoleon's army and the French armed forces in the early 1800's. Although Carlos plays most of his classic material in the live setting he continues to put out new records.

Cindy Blackman Santana, Andy Vargas, Paoli Mejías and Karl Perazzo at The Pinnacle.

Santana's latest Sentinent features his dearly departed friends Miles Davis and Michael Jackson. Carlos told Billboard Magazine that he believes on the strength of his long and well-respected career that he has joined their likes in the pantheon saying that he has become "immortal like them" - and on the strength of his captivating and inspiring appearance in Nashville - we would have to agree with an enthusiastic AMEN to that!

The Pinnacle - which Carlos praised as a "sacred space" to hold a concert - is a state of the art, indoor live music and event venue operated by AEG Presents - opened earlier this year it is already proving itself as a pretty heavenly addition to the city's musical landscape.

Santana took the stage at The Pinnacle two months after the venue's opening in Nashville.

Related Links: For more information on SANTANA and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - Santana | The Pinnacle | Santana Is Rock Solid at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin