Across the Lower Mainland today, there are hundreds, possibly thousands of teenagers who would be mortified if they had seen how their parents were dancing at Rogers Arena last night.

This, of course, is a very good thing indeed. There's not a reason in the world why anyone should give up the simple pleasure of going nuts at a concert just because it would embarrass the kids.

The man responsible for this outbreak of middle-aged booty shaking was Carlos Santana, who delivered a marathon set packed with songs spanning an incredible five decades of music making. It would be easy and probably appreciated if the guitarist stuck to the hits. But what made this show so spectacular, in addition to the superb production and effortless brilliance of the musicianship on display, was that Santana (who recently turned 64) is still a young man unafraid to take chances at heart.

How else to explain his opening number, a free-jazz style eruption of percussion and shredding that was well past the five-minute mark when it burst into a salsa-tinged, rapped cover of ACDC's ‘Back in Black'?

Having suitably confused 95% of his audience, Santana both reassured and got them out of their seats with a pair of choice blasts from the distant past, ‘Black Magic Woman' and ‘Oye Como Va'. By now, Rogers Arena was gently grooving, a situation enhanced with renditions of ‘Maria Maria' and ‘Corazon Espinado'.

It almost goes without saying that Santana's guitar skills are impeccable. And not just on the fret board. His mastery of the three key elements of lead guitar facial expressions – the ‘surprise', the ‘orgasm' and the ‘constipation' – were on regular display. Sure, he knows how to play to the crowd, but he's a generous performer too. And although there really is little need for a bass solo, even when played by the virtuoso Benny Rietveld, it was well worth enduring as it led to a masterpiece of percussion from drummer Dennis Chambers; so cool that he could wipe his face and take a swig from a bottle in the middle of his solo. All this was a preview for the best song of the night, a storming ‘Jingo' that barrelled along like a runaway truck.

Safely nestled within the comfort of his back catalogue, Santana felt comfortable enough to deliver a few more nuggets of weirdness. Not musically, but from his verbal interludes between the tunes. Aside from being a musician of barely comprehensible talent, Santana is clearly a genuine, spiritual and kind human being. He's just happens to be a little odd.

"The holy spirit is nearer than your next breath," he smiled. "Even if you're an atheist, you have to say…damn!"

After extolling the virtues of Tequila and marijuana in Spanish, he added, "Love and light. It's in your DNA." Incredibly sweet, but this may not be scientifically accurate.

Maybe it was that particular cocktail taking effect as the show concluded with an eclectic and full-throttle finale of John Coltrane's ‘A Love Supreme', Cream's ‘Sunshine of Your Love', Santana's own mega-hit ‘Smooth' and an encore that threw the James Bond Theme into ‘Soul Sacrifice' and an explosive single minute of Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock and Roll'.

It wasn't easy to shine in the glare of Santana and his band's brilliance, but support act Michael Franti and Spearhead had a lot to do with the evening's success too. Delivering an amazing example of how to win over an arena audience who have absolutely no idea who you are, Franti spent the majority of his sing-along-friendly show in the crowd, getting people up and dancing on a person-by-person basis. For the climax, Franti encouraged the audience up for what turned into the politest stage invasion in Vancouver history.

In an evening where the unexpected was never far away, it made perfect sense.