Carlos Santana on what we can learn from Woodstock 50 years later

When legendary guitarist Carlos Santana took the stage at Woodstock back in 1969 he was just 22 years old. He was an unknown and he was also hallucinating.

Fifty years later, the wildly successful musician, known for his unmistakable guitar riffs and his band's percussion, says there's still a lot we can learn from the iconic festival, which would go on to become synonymous with peace and love.  

"Woodstock is about energy. All of those people, it's about energy. And more important than the mescaline or Jerry Garcia or Woodstock or the music is how these people were able to co-exist with unity and harmony," Santana told "CBS This Morning." "That's why we're still talking about Woodstock, because humans are quite capable to do the opposite of the shootings and the hurtful things that we're doing."

While plans for a 50th anniversary Woodstock festival fell apart, Santana is finding ways to mark the occasion.

This year, he's celebrating his historic performance there, as well as the 20th anniversary of his Grammy Award-winning album "Supernatural," with a three-month tour — including a performance in Bethel, New York this weekend to commemorate Woodstock 50 years on.

For Santana, Woodstock is something he could see happening every weekend.

"It could work. We need to convince mayors across America to allow Saturdays and Sundays from 10 [a.m.] to 10 [p.m.] to have like we used to have 'love-ins.' People have tie-dyes, barbecues, congas, music, and you have grandparents, children, all celebrating life without the fear," he said. "We promote way too much fear in every channel. So we're becoming creatures of, like you know, creatures of being paranoid, but I believe in transmogrify your fear with the joy that you are inside."

Santana hopes his newest album can provide an antidote to that fear, describing it as "mystical medicine music to heal a twisted, crooked world infected with fear."

To hear more about Santana's Woodstock experience, watch the video in the player above.