It’ll Be a Hot One, Like 7 Inches from the Midday Sun: Santana and Doobie Brothers Booked for SPAC

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The “Smooth” Santana and the “Takin’ it to the Streets” Doobie Brothers will join forces for a Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) show on July 1. Tickets go on sale to the public on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.

The Doobies are frequent visitors to the Spa City, having played at SPAC 20 times, according to Setlist.fm. This places them within the top-five most frequent SPAC performers (Dave Matthews Band, Chicago, Phish, and the Allman Brothers Band round out the rest). The Doobies also played at SPAC last summer alongside their opener, Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. The group is known for its yacht rock vibes and classic tunes “What a Fool Believes,” “Listen to the Music,” “Jesus is Just Alright,” and “China Grove,” among others. 

Santana is no SPAC slacker either, having played here 14 times, most recently in 2019. Since then, the group has released two new studio albums: “Sentient” in 2025 and “Blessings and Miracles” in 2021. Santana’s signature Latin rock, jazz, and psychedelic-infused sound first reached national consciousness after a legendary performance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. The band expanded its fame into the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to the album “Supernatural,” a massive commercial success that included the hits “Smooth” and “Maria Maria.”