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By Dave Miller

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The Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival brought more kinds of music together than its name suggests. Headliners Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros may not have fit the fest under the definition of its name, but I don’t think anyone minded. Both played captivating sets.

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Potter touches on blues singing, but she’s hard to pin down to one category. Her strong voice belts out pop, rock and soul with equal authority, and country superstar Kenny Chesney even asked her to duet on his “You and Tequila.” Potter alternates between keyboards and rhythm guitar when she’s not commanding the stage with just her microphone. Above everything else, Potter is a performer. She’s the best dancer on a rock stage this side of Tina Turner with the legs, attire and moves to match. Potter uses her attractiveness to maximum effect. The blonde bombshell projects a stunning visual presence.

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That would be all well and good by itself, but Potter is heightened by a band that knows how to rock as a unit. Unfortunately, Nocturnals bassist Cat Popper missed the show as she’s on the mend from a liver issue. But drummer Matt Burr and guitarists Scott Tournet and Benny Yurco lifted the music to ecstasy with Potter leading them into a handful of dramatic jams. She came out wailing on the opening “Joey.” The next song, “Tiny Light,” would be worthy of an encore position in the hands of a lesser group with its power and eventual slow burn. “Apologies,” “Ah Mary” and “2:22” made sure the show contained only highlights before it closed with the explosively seductive “Paris (Oh La La)” and “Medicine,” the latter featuring everyone banging on the drum kit.

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It was an exciting performance, though it didn’t quite match the fireworks of the band’s set at the North Coast Music Festival this summer at Union Park. Popper was missed this time and the band was challenged to meet that high standard given that, as Potter noted, they were in San Diego six hours earlier after playing the VH1 Divas Salute The Troops show the previous night. You’d probably have a hard time convincing someone at the Congress Theater who saw Potter for the first time that she could be even better and more energetic, but it’s true. After spending most of the early part of the show behind her keyboard, she turned into an epic whirlwind. The irony about Potter is that for all the fireball energy that she shoots off she’s actually an inward performer who loses herself in her performance. She has room to connect more with the audience as she wows it.

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Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros closed the long day of music with a communal set. They struck me as a cross between Arcade Fire and the Polyphonic Spree. Tall, messianic-like frontman Alex Ebert looks like a combination of Jesus and the Spin Doctors guy, and performs with a contagious sense of wonder that rubs off on the other nine musicians, though I must admit to feeling a cult-like vibe coming from some of them toward their leader.

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At its best, the band was mesmerizing as Ebert led it and the crowd like a hippy Pied Piper with a mischievous dose of Willy Wonka thrown in for good measure. Ebert connected with the crowd immediately by venturing into it before the opening song, “40 Day Dream,” even started. It was the first of his about a half dozen forays into the audience. The highlight of the main set was “Home” on which Ebert and singer Jade Castrinos sang back-and-forth to each other beautifully, seemingly improvising some of their parts over the music. I felt like I was watching two acrobats doing back flips together on a tightrope. It was thrilling to witness, and they seemed to appreciate it as well as they exchanged warm smiles and a fist bump afterward. However, Ebert appeared to have done more than chocolate before the show, which made for an uneven performance at times. Ebert created a wonderful feel of togetherness in the venue, but then allowed the focused good vibrations to dissipate in intensity as he became a bit scattered as the set progressed, meandering around the stage to the point of sitting down a couple times in front of the drum kit.

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Yet the night ended in gloriously intimate fashion. Ebert moved about 20 feet into the crowd and had everyone standing on the vast floor sit with him. From there, he sang “Brother” with most of the band sitting on the edge of the stage, soaking in the scene.      

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Despite snow and freezing temperatures, the Congress Theater filled up by the time the headliners hit the stage. I heard the presale hit 2,000 tickets and the crowd swelled to about twice that for the headliners. Saturday’s main event saw 23 bands play on three stages, which included a side of the balcony and the lobby. The Double Door hosted the opening of the fest Friday and the three-day event featuring 34 acts concluded Sunday at Lincoln Hall.

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I arrived at the Congress Theater in time to catch Van Ghost, who I also caught at the North Coast Music Festival. The musicianship is high and the vocals are impeccable in the group, which plays power pop, middle-of-the-road rock and even a little reggae. I particularly enjoy when Jennifer Hartwick harmonizes with lead singer Michael Harrison Berg, especially on “Decisions.” Hartwick adds a little something extra to the performance whenever she’s featured singing or playing trumpet. The set finished strongly with a soulful "Corinna." I like their music, but I’d like to see the band members interact with each other more onstage.

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The Giving Tree Band injected the advertised bluegrass into the fest. The young guns lined across the stage and brought fiddle, banjo and mandolin into the proceedings backed by upright bass and drums. Their hour-long, entertaining set featured deep harmonies and was smartly paced.

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Unfortunately, David “Honeyboy” Edwards took ill and couldn’t make the show. The 95-year-old Delta bluesman’s two backing musicians gamely took the stage anyway, but their modest half-hour turn was swallowed by the expansive venue. But the can-do set was an example of the spirit of the unpretentious, feel-good fest. Whatever you want to call it, the indoor fest was a welcomed respite from the winter for music lovers. 

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