Grace Potter / Rayland Baxter @ the Pageant, St. Louis, MO

Words and pictures by Duane Clawson
Grace Potter, let’s see I know that Paris (Ooh La La) song, oh! and I know that “Medicine” song too but outside of that, what else did I know about Grace Potter?  Come to find out, not much.  So being the knowledge seeker I am and a big fan of the ladies performing rock and roll music, I couldn’t pass when I saw Grace was coming to town.  Rayland Baxter, an up and comer, and doing an admirable job, opened the show for Miss Potter and company.  I do need to give kudos to Mr. Baxter for covering one of my all-time favorite Neil Young songs, “Vampire Blues”.

Grace Potter wasted no time educating the audience and this music journalist that she had new music out as she opened with, “Hot to the Touch”, from her new record, Midnight.  With this bold opening statement, Grace Potter also solidified that she was back with a vengeance!  Another part of this educational night was hearing Grace’s backing band The Nocturnals and realizing what a great bunch of musicians these guys are.  Time and time again, solid guitar flourishes by lead guitarist, Benny Yurco, grabbed everyone’s attention throughout the night.  Big cheers came from the near sellout crowd on hand as Miss Potter recounted her experience early in the afternoon at St. Louis’s famous botanical garden.  I also learned that Grace was a multi-dimensional musician herself as she spent time behind a Hammond B-3 organ as well as rocking the crap out of a Gibson Flying V.  She even pitched in on drums during a multi-band member drum jam.  The last piece of information I would take away from this night was that Grace Potter brings magic to just about any piece of music she tackles.  This was most evident as she absolutely nailed Dylan’s, “I Shall Be Released”, at the beginning of a three-song encore.  The big 18-song set ending of course that “Ooh La La” song and with me taking away my honorary doctorate degree of all things Grace Potter!  Photos of the show are below:

Contributed by Duane Clawson
Grace Potter / Rayland Baxter @ the Pageant, St. Louis, MO Grace Potter / Rayland Baxter @ the Pageant, St. Louis, MO Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor on October 21, 2015 Rating: 5
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