The Venue

Santana Dates: June 30, 2015 - June 26, 2018 - June 24, 2025

The Ziggo Dome is an indoor arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands, located next to the Johan Cruijff Arena. It is named after the Dutch cable TV provider Ziggo. In 2014, the Ziggo Dome Awards were announced, recognizing artists who performed at the arena.

The building was designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects. Although the name 'Dome' refers to a dome, there are no round shapes. The building has the shape of a square block; the size is 90 by 90 meters, with a height of 30 meters. On the outside, the Ziggo Dome, on a black background, is fully lined with a total of 840,000 LEDs, where video images can be displayed.

The venue has been heavily used for concerts; as of 2017, it ranks behind Madison Square Garden, SSE Hydro, Manchester Arena, and the O2 Arena London as the 5th busiest concert venue in the world.

Andre Looijestijn: 50 Years of a Santana Fan (Facebook June 26, 2025)

I am a Santana fan since I saw the movie "Woodstock" in a Dutch cinema, around 1970, and that year I also bought the album Abraxas. My first Santana concert was in 1975. Since then, I attended all the Dutch concerts except the shows in Zwolle, Kerkrade and Bospop. I saw Santana once in Brussels, Dusseldorf, London and two times in Montreux. The two 1989 concerts in The Hague (my hometown) are the highlights for me. Four hours of Santana with a different setlist, and seeing it from the first row. The 2018 concert at Ziggo was the first concert with mixed feelings, perhaps because of the bad seats.

2021 gave us corona (and I had front row tickets!). Since then, a lot of things happened in Carlos' life. When I saw "this musical giant" on stage, I thought of my old dad (no longer with me). I saw Carlos walk like an old man, with the look of an old man, and there is nothing wrong with that. The band was in good shape, and I enjoyed the concert. But when Carlos walked off the stage, I knew this was the last time I would ever see Carlos Santana live. The last thing I saw was his back disappearing behind the curtain, and it made me emotional.

Memorabilia

The Band: Santana #73

Carlos Santana (guitar/percussion/vocals), Benny Rietveld (bass), Cindy Blackman-Santana (drums), Paoli Mejias Ramos (percussion/vocals), Karl Perazzo (percussion/vocals), David K. Mathews (keyboard/vocals), Ray Greene (vocals, trombone), Andy Vargas (vocals), Tommy Anthony (rhythm guitar)

Length

114 minutes

Exact Set List

Soul Sacrifice/Aranjuez - Jingo - Evil Ways - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Oye Como Va - Maria Maria - Foo Foo - Samba Pa Ti - Everybody’s Everything/Benny Rietveld - Batuka/No One To Depend On - She’s Not There - Hope You’re Feeling Better - Corazon Espinado - The Game Of Love - (Da Le) Yaleo - Put Your Lights On - Toussaint L’Overture/Cindy Blackman-Santana - Band Introduction/Smooth

Photos by NPO Radio 2

Photos by Herman Lansink Rotgerink