When midnight comes, true fans will be rocking out.
As the clock soundtrack on the speakers struck twelve, Grace Potter burst onto the stage awash in backlight, her arms in victory pose, signaling the triumphant debut of her winter tour in Chattanooga.
Opening strong with “Hot to the Touch,” Grace got the crowd grooving, shimmying along with her in her fluorescent rainbow jacket. And the party rolled on as she not only tackled her new hits, like “Your Girl” and “Alive Tonight,” but revisited some classics from all of her previous albums.
A hard-hitting rendition of “Nothing But the Water” had the crowd cheering, while “Low Road” sent a silent unified ripple through the crowd and had uplifted hands swaying with its simple lyrics sung by Grace accompanied only by her lead guitar. Grace’s tribute to David Bowie, “Space Oddity,” enveloped the room with sincere soulful vibrations, and her own “Stars” was a fitting tribute to one her strongest self-proclaimed rock influences.
Backed by the “Midnight Magic Band” with two drummers, two keyboards, bass, and lead guitar played through a wall of speakers and supported by fierce backlighting (often a fiery smoky red) and timed strobes, the aesthetics of the staged show were flawless.
With Grace accompanying herself on nearly every track, from acoustic guitar to her Gibson Flying V to her signature Hammond B3 organ, the depth of sound was a rich accompaniment to her searing vocals. The overall effect was a retro 1970s vibe, something akin to a cross between Jefferson Airplane and Led Zepplin with Janis Joplin on lead vocals.
After an hour and a half of rock ‘n’ roll fusion, Grace closed out the show with an electrifying version of “The Lion, The Beast, The Beat” and sent home a happy crowd with an ooh la la la…Chattanooga.
In short, the concert transported the audience to a new universe that paid homage to the old and lit a fire for the new. Track 29 was filled with “love” and a kind of mystical happiness that you usually only get from an herbal refreshment.