By Christopher David<\/p>\n
When it comes to the greatest, most versatile showmen and women of rock n\u2019 roll, there are precious few left; most have left us. \u00a0Prince comes to mind as someone who blends styles, instruments, and genres to create a world that is entirely his own; David Bowie is another. \u00a0And at the Chicago Theatre on Friday night, Grace Potter made it clear that her hat belongs in that ring.<\/p>\n
Potter (touring on her new solo record Midnight<\/em>) and her phenomenal six-piece band proved mesmerizing at every turn. \u00a0The setlist was an excellent balance of punchy rockers like \u201cLook What We\u2019ve Become\u201d and longer, extended versions of tunes like \u201cThe Loneliest Soul\u201d and set-closer \u201cMedicine\u201d that showcased the band. \u00a0Some of the arrangements saw a bit of a facelift as well, with a more rocking approach to 2007\u2019s \u201cAh Mary\u201d and a drums-guitar arrangement that saw Potter channeling her inner White-Stripes on the typically acapella \u201cNothing But the Water.\u201d \u00a0Potter\u2019s versatility was the key to the night, moving from blues-based crunch to the radio-friendly pop beats of new songs like \u201cHot to the Touch\u201d and \u201cYour Girl\u201d (which called to mind a Controversy<\/em>-era Prince as much live as it does on record).<\/p>\n Onstage, Potter is a grinning, whirling dervish of energy, spending nearly the entire set dancing and vamping when she wasn\u2019t tearing a hole in her signature gold-finish Flying V, particularly on \u00a0the title track from 2012\u2019s The Lion, The Beast, The Beat<\/em> and show opener \u201cNever Go Back.\u201d \u00a0It\u2019s rare to see someone so unabashedly enjoy themselves onstage, and her joy is infectious, weaving its way through the crowd from start to finish. \u00a0A theatre like the Chicago often begs a certain degree of decorum, but Potter wasn\u2019t having it. \u00a0\u201cYou guys just got so quiet,\u201d she remarked at one mid-set point while switching out guitars. \u201cI grew up playing bars where if it got quiet, there was something very wrong.\u201d \u00a0The crowd, spanning a wide age demographic, was happy to oblige her requests for rowdiness the rest of the night.<\/p>\n Introducing \u201cLow Road\u201d from her 2010 record with the Nocturnals, Potter regarded the packed theater, noting, \u201cI know that some of you came here tonight thinking that maybe you\u2019d get to sit down. \u00a0You can sit down whenever you want, but you can\u2019t get mad if there are people standing up in front of you. \u00a0Do we have a deal?\u201d \u00a0Indeed, it\u2019s a rare sight when an entire theater is on its feet almost from start to finish as this crowd was, and by the end of the set, Potter could no longer contain herself, calling for everyone to come down out of the \u201ccheap seats\u201d to dance in front of the stage.<\/p>\n For an encore, a lush duet of \u201cApologies\u201d with opener Raymond Baxter got things started before nailing the audience right between the eyes with \u201cLion\u201d and her most-beloved single, \u201cParis (Ooh La La)\u201d to end the night. \u00a0And as the band took a bow, no one in the house could have walked away thinking that they\u2019d seen anything shy of a born performer.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Grace Potter – Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL – 10\/23\/15 (Setlist)<\/strong><\/p>\n Never Go Back<\/p>\n Empty Heart<\/p>\n Ah, Mary<\/p>\n Biggest Fan<\/p>\n Timekeeper<\/p>\n Stars<\/p>\n Nobody’s Born With A Broken Heart<\/p>\n Runaway<\/p>\n Instigators<\/p>\n Low Road<\/p>\n Nothing But the River (I)<\/p>\n Look What We’ve Become<\/p>\n Hot to the Touch<\/p>\n The Loneliest Soul<\/p>\n Your Girl<\/p>\n Medicine<\/p>\n –Encore–<\/p>\n Apologies (w\/ Raymond Baxter)<\/p>\n The Lion, The Beast, The Beat<\/p>\n My Kind of Town \/ Paris (Ooh La La)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Christopher David When it comes to the greatest, most versatile showmen and women of rock n\u2019 roll, there are precious few left; 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