Photos by Chris Besaw
Review by Kelly Besaw
Landmark Theater, Syracuse, NY- This is my third time seeing Grace Potter perform and I am still in awe. She captivates the audience with her amazing vocal range, her smooth dance moves (in heels) and her rocking Gibson Flying V guitar. There is no question in my mind that she has real talent. The only question of the evening was: Why didn’t the show sell out? Potter has managed to develop a seriously loyal fan base while mostly staying out of the mainstream music scene. She has clearly taken the position of “I am going to play the type of music that I want to play.” Her songs range from what sounds like modern country, to a bit of blues, some love ballads, pop songs, cover songs and good old rock and roll. She refuses to be pigeonholed into one genre and it works for her.
I enjoyed every minute of the two hour set. The acoustics of the Landmark Theater allowed Grace Potter to show off her incredible vocal range. She sounded fabulous. The amazing thing about Potter is the amount of time she spends singing with no break. She ripped right through almost all of the songs off of her new album “Midnight” that was released this August and worked in several hits from previous releases. Other band member left the stage to take a beak but Potter stayed the entire time. When she wasn’t singing her heart out, she was wailing on her guitar, hammering away on the piano or shaking her booty. She was working hard up on the stage but managed to make it look effortless.
Potter showcased her vocals in “Timekeeper” and “Delirious” a cut off of her new release Midnight. Other highlights of the evening included fast paced “The Lion the Beast the Beat” and “Medicine.” Potter ended the evening by teasing fans by saying goodnight and then forming a circle with band mates. They whispered for a bit and looked back at the crowd before ending the evening with fan favorite “Paris (Ooh La La).”
I don’t often make recommendations when it comes to music, but if you have not listened to Grace Potter, please take a moment to go check out some of her live stuff. There’s plenty on YouTube.
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