Live: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (100Bands #60)
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What’s Left: 82 Days. 40 Bands.
Band #60: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
When/Where: May 29th, Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC
Expectations: I attended this show with some serious Grace Potter fans in the group, so this show could not have been more hyped up in my mind, I had no doubts that I was going to have a fabulous night out.
Concert: I don’t know much about Grace Potter, but wish I was her. Zeus himself could never dream of a more soulful goddess. She has the most beautiful hair and effortlessly cool bangs with talent to spare. The same can be said for the Nocturnals who sport 70’s reminiscent outfits; the guys rocked funky mustaches, and girl bassist Catherine Popper, who as Grace mentioned hails from Charlotte, NC, had equally cool, Potter-like bangs.
Though mustaches and bangs seem to be a requirement for Nocturnals membership, extreme talent obviously factors in as well. The Nocturnals are a serious band equipped with instruments and able hands and no sound effects, laptops, or auto-tune in sight. Each element of the band reminds me of the quality of music I listened to in the car with my parents as a kid while still maintaining a totally cool and relevant vibe.
After stalking Grace’s TwitPics of previous set lists from the Bonnaroo Buzz tour, and her nightly outfits before each show, my crew of boys and I were excited to see what she would pull out for her Raleigh show. When we first spotted Grace when she and the rest of the Buzz tour family sang “Happy Birthday” to opener and comedian Julian McCullough we were a little disappointed to see her in shorts and a cardigan. Not a good sign. But she quickly found herself back in our good graces (no pun intended) as she reappeared on stage in a sparkly outfit and mile-high stilettos. The set list included a few favorite Grace Potter songs, but lacked others I was excited to hear, “Mastermind” and “Apologies” were surprisingly absent in the line up. However, my hands-down favorite Potter song, “Tiny Light,” followed by an electrifying cover of “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones is what my boys and I agree to be the best musical moment of our young lives. Grace also broke up the set list at one point with a cute North Carolina version of Tupac’s “California Love.”
There were so many surprises in one night: laughing along to Julian McCullough’s jokes about a Duke psych professor standing behind me, hearing the Nocturnals cover the Stones, getting free “Bonnaroo Buzz Tour” ice cream, and getting some awesome souvenirs. This show is up there as one of my favorite concerts ever. It makes me hate that I had to miss out on Bonnaroo, graduating from high school is pretty overrated anyway.
Concert Afterglow: A drumstick, successfully obtained after flirting with a stage crew guy (totally unashamed), is all the proof I need to remind myself that this night actually happened. I vaguely remember kissing it and stroking it with my face after the show.
Recommendation: Why wouldn’t you go see Grace Potter? She is a must-see act, and she is a goddess. If you get the chance, go to a show, even if you’re not a huge groupie or anything, this woman does not disappoint.
Written by Ambrielle (Blog | Twitter).
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