Friday night marked the official launch of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana’s new residency gig at House of Blues Las Vegas.
As House of Blues’ new resident headliner, Carlos Santana was joined by House of Blues co-founder Dan Aykroyd, House of Blues CEO Ron Bension, President and COO of Mandalay Bay Chuck Bowling, co-founder of the original Woodstock Michael Lang and Casa Noble Tequila CEO Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo as he participated in the earth-based ceremony.
Traditionally, each House of Blues location welds a metal box filled with Delta Mississippi mud to the stage to ensure that every artist that performs on that stage has the roots and the spirit of the South planted beneath their feet. In welcoming Santana to the House of Blues family, this ceremony included earth from the Delta combined with earth delivered from Woodstock as well as some from Santana’s hometown in Mexico, symbolizing Santana’s roots being planted at House of Blues Las Vegas.
The combined mud will find its home in a display box within the venue for fans to see for years to come. The tradition of the mud ceremony began when the first House of Blues venue was established in 1992 in Cambridge, Mass.
The VIP reception boasted stilt walkers in Santana-themed style, a 15-foot long ice sculpture and culinary creations by House of Blues’ chef Aaron Sanchez. The group toasted with a round of Casa Noble Tequila shots before heading into the music hall for the live Santana performance. Additional celebrities in attendance during the VIP reception included Rick Harrison of “Pawn Stars,” comedian Ben Gleib, Ricardo Laguna of “The Ricardo Laguna Project” and comedian Arden Myrin.
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