The singer and multi-instrumentalist’s second show at the outdoor amphitheater proved to be as triumphant as her first appearance there in 2012. (Review, photo gallery)
Triumphant Return: Grace Potter and her band pumped up a sold-out crowd at Meijer Gardens Sunday. (Photos/Anna Sink)
I’ve often endeavored to explain to students, readers and various audiences that one element in particular almost always distinguishes a great concert from a good one.
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It’s not just musicianship: It’s the passion, joy, intensity and verve that a performer puts into that show.
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter and the Nocturnals delivered that in heaping helpings on Sunday night over two sets covering about two hours in their return to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, this time in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,900.
Grace Potter
Because 95 percent of touring acts boast top-drawer musicians with impressive technical skills, it’s the sort of effusive enthusiasm for unfurling well-crafted songs that Potter embraces with every fiber in her body that sets her apart. No one seems happier working the stage than Potter.
Oh, yeah, and then there’s her drop-dead good looks paired with a rock-hewn voice from the heavens.
As I tweeted at one point on Sunday, “There’s no other way to say it, Grace Potter is an absolute phenom.”
Potter and her Nocturnals – Matt Burr, Scott Tournet, Benny Yurco and Michael Libramento – brewed up a taste stew of rootsy rock, blues, pop, funk and psychedelia, captivating a gleeful crowd so much so that most of them stayed put despite the light sprinkles of rain that moved in near the end of the show. Of course, the male portion of the audience probably would have stayed put through a torrential downpour considering the glittery, white flowing gown/robe that Potter flaunted all night as she skipped, hopped, twirled, go-go danced and hair-tossed in nearly non-stop fashion, alternating from guitar to keyboards to stand-alone-but-never-standing-still vocals.
Even her less-compelling pop tunes incorporated appealing harmonies and a campy effervescence, not to mention inspiring, deep-down-soulful vocal inflections. She may have followed Sheryl Crow in performing at Meijer Gardens this season – and followed in her footsteps as a singer – but Potter is quickly blazing her own trail as a musical force to be reckoned with.
The sold-out crowd on Sunday night at Meijer Gardens.
THE VIBE
For the second year in a row at Meijer Gardens, Potter enchanted the crowd – a diverse one age-wise – in spite of rainy conditions. After a brutal heat wave, West Michigan’s temperature may have dropped a bit on Sunday, but Potter just turned the thermostat back up in steamy musical fashion starting with the night’s country-hued opener, “Here’s to the Meantime” and continuing through the night, especially on crowd faves “Never Go Back,” “Stars” “Medicine” and “The Lion The Beast The Beat.” And closing out the night with a rousing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Your Time is Gonna Come” and the infectious “Paris (Ooh La La)” wasn’t too shabby either.
THE NIGHT’S BIG MOMENTS
With Potter doffing her shoes to go barefoot, the band (three acoustic guitars and a snare drum) ignited the second set by gathering at the front of the stage for a hair-raising, semi-acoustic version of Hank Williams’ “Devil’s Train,” followed by the rock-fueled blues of an extended “Sweet Hands” that ranks as one of the most compelling and sexiest songs I’ve ever seen performed at Meijer Gardens. Of course, Potter later upped the ante even further with her soulful, solo Flying V guitar rendition of “Nothing But the Water I” that morphed into the full-band rock explosion of “Nothing But the Water II.” There were almost too many spine-tingling moments to count during Sunday night’s show.
THE BANTER
“I have not seen this perfect weather in a long time. It’s the perfect temperature, the perfect setting for an evening concert. It’s good to be back.” – Potter, about an hour before it started to sprinkle.
“We’ll always come back here. It’s a beautiful place.” – Potter, just before leaving the stage after the encore.
GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY BY ANNA SINK (JULY 21, 2013)
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
Does anyone have the set lists?
Started listening to this band about 5 years ago and have just kept wondering why they haven’t broken out.
I like a lot of different music – jazz to heavy metal – and this group hits a lot of different areas.
I wholeheartedly agree that the energy and passion make a huge difference at concerts. This band, and especially Grace, just look like they’re having an awesome time and want everyone to share in that.