“Grace Potter & The Nocturnals”
The El Rey Theatre
Friday, Feb. 4
To say that Grace Potter is sultry is an understatement.
The Nocturnals’ blonde bombshell front woman can not only sport a sequined mini dress in 4-inch heels on stage ““ she also happens to be born with the velvet voice of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. And alongside the Nocturnals, she’s positively fierce.
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals belted to a sold out crowd on Friday at the El Rey Theatre ““ one that was surprisingly equally balanced in attendance by aging hippies, middle-aged leather jacketeers and 20-somethings alike.
The Vermont quintet ““ who were recently named a VH1 “You Oughta Know” Artist on the Rise ““ is a refreshing dose of soulful rock ‘n’ roll missing from the indie bands who are a dime a dozen.
Granted, they’ve had a bit of practice ““ bassist and backing vocalist Catherine Popper has previously played with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, and Hem.
The front row of the intimate Art Deco joint felt more like a jam session than a concert, and danced more like a group of friends than a crowd as the band opened with its first single, “Ah Mary.”
Shifting effortlessly between crooning soul and wild extended jams courtesy of lead guitarist Scott Tournet, the band delivered a polished sound that skirted between ’70s classic rock and acoustic ballads worthy of lighter (or cell phone) swaying.
The night’s set highlighted the band’s self-titled third record, including crowd favorites “Hot Summer Night,” “Paris (Ooh La La)” and “Medicine,” as well as a handful of cover songs that included an eerie rendition of the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit” ““ complete with air-blown soap sud puffs.
Aside from a sound parallel to their records, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals delivered the kind of chemistry and spunky stage personality that makes a live concert worthwhile. After all, the band burst into an impromptu acoustic rendition of Kelis’ “Milkshake” specially dedicated to Los Angeles, and playfully tackled each other on stage. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals offered a sense of genuine character.
“We’re just a small band from Vermont,” Potter confessed in between songs, and closed the evening with an energetic encore cover of Heart classic “Crazy on You” that left the crowd singing.
Maybe it was the fact that I was in the first row, maybe it was the fact that I caught my first tossed guitar pick, or maybe it was because I was mistakenly bestowed Carson Daly’s photo press pass ““ but the night was the essence of good old rock ‘n’ roll.
