Concert for the Americas
Encyclopedia
The Concert for the Americas was a music festival
held on August 20, 1982 in the Dominican Republic
. It was held at the Altos de Chavón
Amphitheater, a 5000-seat open-air Greek-style amphitheater located about two hours east of Santo Domingo
, that was inaugurated by the festival.
Performers included Frank Sinatra
with Buddy Rich
, Heart
and Santana
. Santana's set was cut short due to inclement weather.
Tickets for Sinatra's performance were RD$50.00 (Dominican pesos, worth at the time about two US dollars each) and the New York Times mistakenly reported 50 U.S. dollars.
Charles Bluhdorn
, whose Gulf+Western
owned both the Altos de Chavón and Paramount Pictures
, had Paramount record the concert so it could be shown all over the world. The concert was broadcast on Showtime and featured a Grucci Fireworks
grand finale. The video recordings of the Frank Sinatra / Buddy Rich set, and of Heart's performance, were later released commercially and are generally available in the United States from online and other retailers. Sinatra's infamous comment about his hit "Strangers In The Night
", "That's the worst fucking song I ever heard," can be heard faintly after Sinatra bows following his performance of the tune he so hated.
The now-disappeared Dominican band "Túcaro and The Band" opened the show for Heart, who played one of their most memorable live performances ever, rocking the audience to a frenzy. When Santana came out to play, the audience was totally surrendered to the music.
Santana played their first couple of songs, but by the third song the rain begin to pour down heavily. The concert was stopped and the roadies tackled the lights to fix a plastic cover on top, to serve as a canopy so Santana would take cover under it and resume playing.
The rain stopped briefly, so Santana again came out to play, only to be stopped by the rain again. This interrupted set is what is listed as the "Instrumental Jam" of his from that night. The roadies again got to work on the plastic covers, the rain intensified and the concert was put on hold. Nobody from the audience had moved and by that time everybody was soaking wet but still waiting to hear their demi-god, Santana, play.
A long wait was endured and when the rain finally showed signs of stopping, Santana came out to play again, but as soon as they started so did the rain. Only this time Santana did not stop until he finished "Black Magic Woman", which ended in a superb "descarga" or major jam. Rain water was bouncing off congas and Santana's guitar picks strummed water off of his guitar.
By that moment pure pandemonium was unleashed among the audience, who couldn't believe what the musicians were doing for them. Shouts of "Que Viva Changó!" (Long Live Chango, the ancient rain god) where heard and the show came to an epic end, having to be stopped by fears of Santana being electrocuted by a water induced electrical shortcut from his guitar.
Urban Legend has it that Santana cried backstage when he was informed the show was to be stopped and rumor spread that he had sent out word that he promised he would be back and finish his performance.
That show is of legendary status among Dominican rock fans.
Santana's promised was finally fulfilled after a 27 year wait when last 03.07.09 he again played at Altos de Chavón. His first words to the audience where "Chango was a little harsh to us last time we was here, but tonight is payback time and we have our fingers crossed Chango will allow us to finish our performance".
He then proceeded to play for almost three hours, revisiting his most notable songs from his extended and amazing career and performing like the guitar god he really is.
/ Buddy Rich
Heart
Santana
Other performances billed as "Concert for the Americas" have been small performances, sometimes in academic settings, and generally not of pop music. Such other performances include:
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
held on August 20, 1982 in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. It was held at the Altos de Chavón
Altos de Chavón
The biggest attraction in La Romana, Dominican Republic, is Altos de Chavón, a re-creation of a medieval European village conceived from the imagination of Roberto Copa, a former Paramount Studios set designer, and Charles Bluhdorn....
Amphitheater, a 5000-seat open-air Greek-style amphitheater located about two hours east of Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, that was inaugurated by the festival.
Performers included Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
with Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
, Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
and Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
. Santana's set was cut short due to inclement weather.
Tickets for Sinatra's performance were RD$50.00 (Dominican pesos, worth at the time about two US dollars each) and the New York Times mistakenly reported 50 U.S. dollars.
Charles Bluhdorn
Charles Bluhdorn
Charles Blühdorn was a Vienna, Austria-born American industrialist.-Biography:Per a Who's Who in Ridgefield he was considered such a "hellion" that his father sent the 11-year-old to an English boarding school for disciplining...
, whose Gulf+Western
Gulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
owned both the Altos de Chavón and Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, had Paramount record the concert so it could be shown all over the world. The concert was broadcast on Showtime and featured a Grucci Fireworks
Fireworks by Grucci
Fireworks by Grucci is a fireworks company headquartered in Brookhaven on New York's Long Island. It has been a family run business since 1850. The company's main fireworks office & operations are in Brookhaven, NY with a manufacturing and government work factory in Radford, Virginia.According to...
grand finale. The video recordings of the Frank Sinatra / Buddy Rich set, and of Heart's performance, were later released commercially and are generally available in the United States from online and other retailers. Sinatra's infamous comment about his hit "Strangers In The Night
Strangers in the Night
"Strangers in the Night" is a popular song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. It was originally created under the title Beddy Bye as part of the instrumental score for the movie A Man Could Get Killed...
", "That's the worst fucking song I ever heard," can be heard faintly after Sinatra bows following his performance of the tune he so hated.
The now-disappeared Dominican band "Túcaro and The Band" opened the show for Heart, who played one of their most memorable live performances ever, rocking the audience to a frenzy. When Santana came out to play, the audience was totally surrendered to the music.
Santana played their first couple of songs, but by the third song the rain begin to pour down heavily. The concert was stopped and the roadies tackled the lights to fix a plastic cover on top, to serve as a canopy so Santana would take cover under it and resume playing.
The rain stopped briefly, so Santana again came out to play, only to be stopped by the rain again. This interrupted set is what is listed as the "Instrumental Jam" of his from that night. The roadies again got to work on the plastic covers, the rain intensified and the concert was put on hold. Nobody from the audience had moved and by that time everybody was soaking wet but still waiting to hear their demi-god, Santana, play.
A long wait was endured and when the rain finally showed signs of stopping, Santana came out to play again, but as soon as they started so did the rain. Only this time Santana did not stop until he finished "Black Magic Woman", which ended in a superb "descarga" or major jam. Rain water was bouncing off congas and Santana's guitar picks strummed water off of his guitar.
By that moment pure pandemonium was unleashed among the audience, who couldn't believe what the musicians were doing for them. Shouts of "Que Viva Changó!" (Long Live Chango, the ancient rain god) where heard and the show came to an epic end, having to be stopped by fears of Santana being electrocuted by a water induced electrical shortcut from his guitar.
Urban Legend has it that Santana cried backstage when he was informed the show was to be stopped and rumor spread that he had sent out word that he promised he would be back and finish his performance.
That show is of legendary status among Dominican rock fans.
Santana's promised was finally fulfilled after a 27 year wait when last 03.07.09 he again played at Altos de Chavón. His first words to the audience where "Chango was a little harsh to us last time we was here, but tonight is payback time and we have our fingers crossed Chango will allow us to finish our performance".
He then proceeded to play for almost three hours, revisiting his most notable songs from his extended and amazing career and performing like the guitar god he really is.
Performance setlists
Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
/ Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
- Introduction
- "I've Got The World on a String"
- "I Get a Kick Out of You"
- "Come Rain or Come Shine"
- "When Your Lover Has Gone"
- "The Lady is a Tramp"
- Sinatra Speaks About America
- "The House I Live In"
- Buddy RichBuddy RichBernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
- Prologue / "Jet Song" (From West Side StoryWest Side StoryWest Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
) - "Searching"
- "My Kind of Town"
- "Something"
- "The Best Is Yet to Come"
- "Strangers in The Night"
- "All or Nothing at All"
- Band Introductions
- "The Gal That Got Away" / "It Never Entered My Mind"
- "I've Got You Under My Skin"
- "Send in The Clowns" (Featuring Tony MottolaTony MottolaTony Mottola was an American guitarist who released dozens of solo albums. Mottola was born in Kearny, New Jersey, and died in Denville, New Jersey.-Career:...
on Guitar) - "Quiet Night of Quiet Stars" (Featuring Tony MottolaTony MottolaTony Mottola was an American guitarist who released dozens of solo albums. Mottola was born in Kearny, New Jersey, and died in Denville, New Jersey.-Career:...
on Guitar) - "I Won't Dance"
- "Theme From New York, New York"
Heart
- "Crazy On You"
- "Raised On You"
- "This Man Of Mine"
- "Straight On"
- "Magic Man"
- "Tell It Like It Is"
- "Dog & Butterfly"
- "The Situation"
- "Even It Up"
- "Barracuda"
- "Rock & Roll"
Santana
- "Be With You"
- "Instrumental Jam"
- "Searchin'"
- "Black Magic Woman"
Other "Concerts For the Americas"
Since 1982, other concert performances have been titled "Concert for the Americas." Such performances include:- On October 20, 2001, the Concert for New York City took place at Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, in ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. This performance was occasionally referred to as the Concert for the Americas.
Other performances billed as "Concert for the Americas" have been small performances, sometimes in academic settings, and generally not of pop music. Such other performances include:
- February 22, 2002 -- Hoffman Auditorium, The Carol Autorino Center, St. Joseph College, West Hartford, CT. Performers included Lorena Garay
- October 4, 2005 -- Minsky Recital Hall, University of Maine. Performers included Augusto Bertado Cocotl playing violin, accompanied by Ginger Yang Hwalek on piano.