Grace Potter | August 15, 2015 – Digital Diversion

If you had rolled up on Oakland's Uptown district last night it would have been immediate clear that the oppressive heat, substantially amplified by the smoke from the Lake County fires, had kept the usual Saturday night crowds at bay. Inside the air conditioned walls of the Fox Theater, however, was a different story altogether. Hot off the previous day's release of her solo record, Midnight, Grace Potter was ready to rip through a 90 minute set for fans that were as diverse as her musical influences.

If you had rolled up on Oakland’s Uptown district last night it would have been immediate clear that the oppressive heat, substantially amplified by the smoke from the Lake County fires, had kept the usual Saturday night crowds at bay. Inside the air conditioned walls of the Fox Theater, however, was a different story altogether. Hot off the previous day’s release of her solo record, Midnight, Grace Potter was ready to rip through a 90 minute set for fans that were as diverse as her musical influences.

Potter was positively beaming when she finally took the stage at 9:15, dazzling the room in a short sequined dress she wasted no time launching into her Nocturnals material with Medicine and Runaway. But with the new record out in the wild for less than 48 hours, it was not long before she inevitably busted out the new stuff. Picking up her Gibson Flying V for Hot To The Touch, Grace quickly removed any doubt over how the new material would mesh with the rest of her catalog. While Midnight certainly explores a pop sensibility, Grace made it clear that she was there to rock it all.

Effectively mixing the new with the old, Grace commanded the room like a pro without missing a note, at one point bringing opener Rayland Baxter back to the stage to join her on vocals for a few tunes. The Oakland crowd ate all up … every last morsel including a cover of Elton John’s Rocket Man and, of course, the show closer Paris which capped off an incredible performance.

Setlist:

Medicine
Runaway
Hot To The Touch
Ah Mary
Loneliest Soul
Biggest Fan
Never Go Back
Empty Heart
Low Road
Nothing But The Water
Jump Into The Fire
Let You Go
Your Girl
Turntable
Alive Tonight
Stop The Bus

–Encore–

Rocket Man
The Lion The Beast The Beat
Paris (Ooh La La)

Supporting act: Rayland Baxter

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