X 

By Dave Miller

XZo

If there were any doubts that Grace Potter is a major talent, the 29-year-old blonde bombshell obliterated them in the encore of her sold-out Saturday show at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago.

X

Potter returned to the dark stage with her Gibson V-body guitar. Standing barefoot in a single spotlight, she dove into part one of "Nothing But The Water," a spiritual that had her belting voice, accompanied only by her sparse slide playing, reverberating throughout the creaky venue. The goose bump-inducing performance quieted the all-ages crowd, no small feat considering how loud it had been throughout he night. Potter was just getting started. The song morphed into its second part with Potter moving behind her keyboards as her four-piece band returned to the stage to provide lift-off with a sonic blast that eventually saw everyone meeting at Matt Burr's kit for a group drum solo.

X

That was the start of a killer encore. "Stars" and "The Divide" came next, followed by the show-stopping "Paris (Ooh La La)." Potter wrapped up the night by taking it even higher with a raise-the-roof cover of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll."

X

The final song was a fitting declaration. More than anything, Potter is a rocker. That might not be obvious at first glance. Blame her knockout looks in the age of superficial divas for that. It can be easy to assume she belongs in that group. She doesn't. Far from it. Potter is a rare triple threat -- she can sing, play and dance. Her singing has been compared to Janis Joplin. I wouldn't go that far, but she sure can belt it. She plays acoustic and electric guitar and keyboards like she owns them. And then there is her dancing, not the militaristic, choreographed ensemble kind that has become a numbing cliche from the aformentioned divas, but the in-the-moment variety that exudes freedom in a similar way that Janis' voice did. Think Tina Turner, only Potter has long hair to send flying with her skirt. So many performers can sing and play, but how many can dance, too? There's Prince and there's, um, ...

x

Potter's concert was more power-packed than her 2010 sets in town at the North Coast Music Festival and the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass Festival. That wasn't always a good thing. Parts of the main set, including the opening, veered too much into 1980s arena rock with its big light show and Potter taking her voice to 10 too often. But the good thing about seeing Potter these days is if you're not thrilled by one song, just wait -- odds are there's one around the corner you'll like. She's mixing up her setlist on a nightly basis like Springsteen. A song that opens one show may close the next. Many are open to acoustic treatments such as "Ragged Company" and a requested "Keepsake" on this night. Some fan favorites such as "Medicine" and "Hot Summer Night" were not played, but returned to start the next night at Park West. All kinds of covers are popping up on this tour. This show included The Beatles' "Yer Blues" in the main set before Joan Jett & the Blackhearts'  finale appearance. (Potter has covered everyone from the Stones to Beyonce to Hank Williams to Soundgarden in recent shows.)  

x

What a given show might lack in pacing at times is made up for with a freshness that ensures the performance remains in the moment. Potter's band stays with its leader's twists and turns. It would be nice if she had a foil onstage, but it would be a challenge for anyone to go toe-to-toe with the whirlwind entertainer. It's hard to believe that someone who is so physical and pushes her voice so much could play five shows in as many nights, but this was the third show in just such a stretch. Potter is working hard to entertain like few others.

x

Langhorne Slim & The Law made a nice comeback in their opening set. The early going smacked of a Mumford & Sons imitation, but they eventually ditched the standup bass and banjo and found their own footing. By the end of the set, Slim took an earned trip into the crowd.

X

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals setlist:

X

Ah Mary

Some Kind Of Ride

Never Go Back

Goodbye Kiss

Apologies

Runaway

Keepsake

Joey

Ragged Company

One Short Night

Tiny Light

Yer Blues

The Lion The Beast The Beat

Stop The Bus

-------------------------------------

Nothing But The Water (I)

Nothing But The Water (II)

Stars

The Divide

Paris (Ooh La La)

I Love Rock 'n' Roll

X 

Start: 8:44 p.m./Finish: 10:30 p.m.
Totals: 20 songs, one hours 46 minutes

XX

X

Photo Gallery

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

Zo 

 

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

Zo 

  

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

Zo 

  

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Langhorne Slim & The Law

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Langhorne Slim & The Law

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

 

Langhorne Slim & The Law

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Langhorne Slim & The Law

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Langhorne Slim & The Law

January 18, 2013 @ Riviera Theatre

X

Go here to "Follow" ChicagoConcertgoers.com on Twitter. 

Go here to "Like" ChicagoConcertgoers.com on Facebook. 

past reviews

X