A Grace Potter and the Nocturnals live show is almost like having sex in a room full of several hundred people while remaining fully clothed. It’s a fun, sexy, hot and sweaty evening that will leave you exhausted by the show’s climax (um) – I mean encore. Grace and the boys pulled into Roanoke, Virginia to perform as the headliner for the first time at the Roanoke Performing Arts Center.
The band did something extremely cool and unique for the show that I thought was noteworthy to add to this review. Fans were asked to go on Twitter and request songs on the band’s Twitter page using the hashtag #GPNsetlists and include the date and location of the show they were attending. Grace promised that no two shows would be the same and that at some of the shows the setlist would be all requests directly from fans on Twitter. I’ve gone to thousands of concerts through the years and have never heard of a band doing this, and it was simply put – brilliant!
The show began with “Ah, Mary” and it didn’t take long for Grace to have the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand. After the song, she told the audience, “What do you say we stand up here for a little bit. There’ll be plenty of time to sit later. Let’s get a groove on now!” Ask and ye shall receive, as the entire venue rose to their feet. How’s that for power?
Grace is a powerful presence and it goes way beyond her beauty. The stage to Grace is like playing king 
of the hill when you were a kid. She stands atop that hill and dares you to take it from her. Her weapons rang from her F lying V guitar (which is not a prop because she is deadly on it), the tambourine, keyboards and Hammond organ. I think the strongest weapon in her arsenal by far is her soaring vocals, which can range from gritty and bluesy to tender and heartfelt.
There were plenty of selections from the latest album The Lion, The Beast, The Beat including “Stars”, “Keepsake” and “Parachute Heart.” The setlist dated back to their 2006 Nothing But The Water with great versions of “Joey”, “Treat Me Right” and “Toothbrush and my Table,” which received a very strong reaction from the crowd. I have to admit that after hearing it live, “Toothbrush and my Table” is now one of my favorite songs by the band.
A great leader builds an equally talented team around themselves and Grace is not lacking in that department. I know most reviews focus on her and it’s hard not to, but her band, The Nocturnals, need 
to have some much deserving props thrown their way. They include the consummate musicianship of Matt Burr on drums, Scott Tournet on guitar, Benny Yurco on guitar and Michael Libramento on bass. These guys are so incredibly tight and sounded amazing. There was also great chemistry between Grace and all the band members. They genuinely seemed to be having a great time on stage, which was infectious as that feeling also spread across the throng of listeners.
It also wouldn’t be a Grace Potter and The Nocturnals show if there weren’t a couple of cover songs included. For this evening, she included great interpretations of the Rolling Stones’ ”Paint it Black,” as well as the Otis Redding song “Pain in my Heart.” The show, unfortunately, had to come to a close and the band finished the night by playing “Paris.” It was a night full of amazing music and energy with Grace’s sassy sexiness sprinkled all over it. It was one of those rare concerts where people left knowing that they got their money’s worth.
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals are touring hot and heavy. Check out their Tour Schedule and be sure to catch them live in your city!
~ Johnny Price, Journalist – RockRevolt™Magazine
Pictures (unknown source) from GPN Facebook Page
