Santana's New Stand.

SANTANA: Carlos Aims Beyond Entertainment

Carlos Santana shared his thoughts on his recently announced two-year residency at the House of Blues in Las Vegas at a press conference yesterday at L.A.'s House of Blues.

The Vegas venue -- located inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel -- is less than half the size of the 4,000 seat Joint in the Hard Rock Cafe, where he did a similar residency that ended last year. Santana spoke of wanting to use the intimacy -- which he called "into me see" -- to create "a spiritual, sensual laboratory," where he can give people "something beyond entertainment. We deal with something a little different...the Holy Ghost. And the muscle most important to the Holy Ghost is imagination."

Santana mentioned a number of possible guest artists he may invite to join him during the residency. It includes Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Harry Belafonte, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Angelique Kidjo, Derek Trucks and Trey Anastasio. Comparing it to his list of guests before he started working on Supernatural, he says he has "no idea right now" how it will actually come together.