Love is indeed in the air, well, at least at the Midwest Bank Amphitheatre on Friday night, July 9, when guitar hero Carlos Santana proposed to drummer Cindy Blackman after performing the fourth song from the show’s set list.

“Will you marry me?” was Santana’s very words to the drummer, who then said yes. It surely was a night not only filled with soulful rock jams but also with love, with the newly-engaged couple kissing and the crowd cheering.

Santana, who is always known to create songs that are soulful, inspiring and positive, has this to say about what driven him to pull a stop like that in the middle of his Chicago show:

“Being in love is a gift from the universe, and the spirit and vibrations that come with it are infinitely powerful. I look forward to expressing that incredible energy through my music, and in helping to tip the balance toward more love in the world with what Cindy and I share.”

This is Santana’s first engagement after being married for 34 years. Clearly for the rock icon, love is the most important thing other than material success, as he puts it, “It’s not for achievements or surviving this or transcending that. For example, for me right now … I’m in love”.

Santana and his crew will be hitting Ontario on the 14th and Montreal the day after before they step back into the US on July 17 with a show in New York. They will be spending the remaining days of July touring throughout the US till they return to Las Vegas in August and September for the artist’s residency show in Sin City.

2010 Carlos Santana Concert Tour
July 2010
14 – Ottawa, Ontario – Lebreton Flats Park
15 – Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre
17 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
18 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
20 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
21 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
23 – Mansfield, MA – Comcast Center
25 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
27 – Virginia Beach, VA – Virginia Beach Amphitheater
28 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
29 – Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
31 – Tampa, FL – 1-800-Ask Gary Amphitheatre

August 2010
1 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre
25, 27, 28, 29 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel/Casino

September 2010
1, 3, 4, 5 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel/Casino

It seems Steve Winwood enjoys pair up with his legendary contemporaries when he tours as evident with last year’s run with Eric Clapton. This year he is cozying up with Carlos Santana for a wave of summer dates, covering 22 cities in amphitheaters across North America. Everything gets underway on July 1 at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and runs through August 1 at West Palm Beach, Florida. Santana will be priming the engine by playing a string of dates in Vegas (April 21-May 2) before bringing on Winwood to tour properly. For a full list of tour dates, see the list below.

Santana’s Las Vegas dates are part of a deal he’s signed with the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas that commits him to playing 36 shows per year at the hotel casino combo. Santana is rumored to be at work on an upcoming album which would mark his first studio release since 2005s “All That I Am.” Santana was ranked number 15 on Rolling Stone’s greatest guitarist of all time in 2003. He has 10 Grammy Awards to his name as well as 3 Latin Grammys.

Steve Winwood last album was “Nine Lives” released in April 2008. It reached up to 12 on the Billboard Album Charts marking his highest album debut.

2010 Carlos Santana Concert Tour
April 2010
21-22, 24-25, 28, 30 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

May 2010
1-2 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel

June 2010
30 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

July 2010
1 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
3 – Sioux City, IA – Saturday in the Park
4 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
6 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
7 – Noblesville, IN – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
9 – Tinley Park, IL – Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
10 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
11 – Toronto, Ontario – Molson Amphitheatre
15 – Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre
17 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
18 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
20 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
21 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun
23 – Mansfield, MA – Comcast Center
24 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
25 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
27 – Virginia Beach, VA – Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheatre
28 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
29 – Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
31 – Tampa, FL – Ford Amphitheatre

August 2010
1 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheater