AMAZING GRACE

GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS
11/10/08 Santa Fe Brewing Company
Concert Review by Chris Diestler

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OMG!

I had heard they would be great, but OMFG!

Apologies to those who didn’t hear the word in advance – it was a last-minute addition to the FanMan calendar – but GRACE POTTER & the NOCTURNALS blew the roof off the Santa Fe Brewing Company last Monday.

Crikey! If this show isn’t talked about ten years from now as one of the best Santa Fe’s ever seen, I’ll eat my hat.

With the crowd a scant-yet-robust 150 strong at its wintery peak, the setting was, to say the least, “intimate.” Instruments and stagehands spilled out onto the floor, because the stage just wasn’t big enough to contain all the gear, and this band (who’s accustomed to playing festivals in front of 25K) wasn’t phased at all as they ripped into an incredible set.

The stuffed mascot attached to Grace’s front mike was “Animal,” the crazed drummer from Jim Henson’s beloved “Muppet Show.” Watching her work the crowd, I could see her affinity with this character. Grace was all over the place, switching from acoustic guitar, to a Flying V, to her trademark Hammond B3 organ, and always belting out the strongest, sweetest voice this side of Bonnie Raitt.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN A CHICK ROCK SO HARD!

Opener was “Joey,” perhaps not surprisingly, but a good opener, followed by the big radio hits “Ain’t No Time” and “Treat Me Right.” All well and good. By the time they busted out “Ah Mary” five songs in, we were collectively eating out of the palms of their hands. Their tunes aren’t exactly jammy, but they do jam, and they certainly rock when called upon, but they also have a bluesy-country flavor. If I had to describe this band to someone who’d never heard them, I’d say “Allman Brothers with a female vocalist, but with twice as much energy and can’t-hold-back dance grooves.” Granted, ABB in their heyday were a formidable beast, but this girl’s got it going on NOW.

It seemed as though the Santa Fe crowd might just have been on the cusp of recognizing more than a few of their tunes, and the Nocturnals are SOLID backup -- however grungy they might’ve looked on the outside, these boys know how to play. Surprise covers included the Stones’ “No Expectations” (ethereal and sublime) and Petty’s “Running Down a Dream” (exuberant, playful, and over too soon). I thought I detected a little Talking Heads’ “I Zimbra” in the middle of the encore – “Nothing but the Water” – but I can’t be sure. It sure was a tasty groove to end the night on, though.

Thanks to Jamie Lenfesty for snagging this outfit at the last minute when he had the chance. I predict, by the time they swing back around to Santa Fe, it will be difficult to get this close to them, but they’ll probably sound just as good. And I bet they’ll come back, because as great as it was for us to see them in this intimate a setting, it looked as though they were really enjoying themselves too.

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