Grace Potter told concert-goers in the reserved section at Deer Valley Tuesday night that they looked comfortable sitting in their seats on a beautiful night in the mountains.
But she promised they wouldn't be there for long.
True to her word, just a couple of songs into Potter's set, both the reserved and lawn sections of the amphitheater were on their feet where they would remain for the rest of the concert. Many of those reserved seat holders rushed to the front of the stage before security stationed ushers in the aisles to prevent more people from walking down to the front.
Grace Potter put on a sensational concert at Deer Valley Tuesday night. And despite all the brouhaha among some fans over her change in sound on her new record, the revamping of her band, and hitting the road as a solo act and not "and the Nocturnals," nay-sayers would have a hard time finding any criticism with Potter's dynamic performance Tuesday.
Potter's powerhouse vocals were in top form as she delivered a solid mix of Nocturnal classics including "Medicine," "Never Go Back," "Stars," and "Apologies" along with her new material like "Alive Tonight."
The energetic Potter never stopped moving on stage, walking, dancing and spinning back and forth to all corners while also switching between her Hammond organ, acoustic guitar and her signature collection of Gibson Flying-V guitars. She even invited a couple of kids in the audience to join her on stage to dance.
Live in concert is where fans will likely connect best with the new material. Several songs off her upcoming new album (scheduled to be released Aug. 14) already sound better live than the recorded versions, such as "Empty Heart" and "Delirious," a song that has a very "Tiny Light-like" ending.
Yes, it was a little strange at first not seeing founding guitarist Scott Tournet trading riffs with Benny Yurco. But with Nocturnals Yurco (who walked seemingly unnoticed through the aisles recording parts of opening act Rayland Baxter with his cell phone) and Matt Burr on drums in addition to four other new band members, Potter's new band rocked the older material. The amphitheater was on its feet for "Ah Mary" and continued dancing for "Turntable," "Stop The Bus" and "The Lion, The Beat, The Beast."
As usual, Potter threw in a few cover songs, this time giving an encore performance of "Gimmie Shelter," a song she performed on stage with the Rolling Stones recently, and Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy." She ended the night with "Paris (Oh La La)."
After not playing Utah in 2014, Potter's return on Tuesday was just about everything one would hope it would be. Sure, there were a lot of songs and a lot of deep cuts not played that would have been nice to hear. But that's the way it has always been for Potter, who never does the same show twice. She gives all her energy to the crowd, and then comes back to town and does it again with a whole new set list.
Hopefully Potter's next Utah show will be sooner than later!
