Santana, Counting Crows connect with their Syracuse fans

The Oneness tour in which headliner Santana was joined by Counting Crows lived up to its name.

Wednesday night’s show at Empower FCU Amphitheater drew a diverse and multigenerational crowd eager to celebrate two seminal rock acts.

While the forecast had called for rain, concertgoers were warmed by the sunset as the Counting Crows took the stage for the opening slot.

They kicked off the night with “Hard Candy” before the crowd went wild for their ’90s hits “Mr. Jones” and “Round Here,” plus a surprise cover of Taylor Swift’s “the 1.”

For fans, there was hugging, dancing and even a bit of crying for tracks like “Colorblind.” Also, lead singer Adam Duritz took a moment to acknowledge a painting given to him by a fan in the crowd.

With a career spanning more than half a century, including an appearance at the original Woodstock in 1969, Carlos Santana incorporated plenty of fan favorites into the evening’s headliner portion.

Opening with “Soul Sacrifice” and “Jin-go-lo-ba,” Santana brought these Latino rhythms that got the crowd moving before launching into his classic take on “Evil Ways” and “Black Magic Woman.”

While the 77-year-old master guitarist sat for most of the set, his fingers were as nimble as ever as he worked through an 18-song set that culminated with this 1999 megahit “Smooth.”