Grace Potter's revived Grand Point North. How it shone at Waterfront Park after 5 years
The name was revived after a five-year hiatus, and much about Grace Potter’s erstwhile Grand Point North festival felt the same at this weekend’s revised Grand Point North concert series.
Just like the festival, the series at Waterfront Park featured two headlining nights by the Vermont rocker and her band. The July 27 set was an all-request night, so Potter dusted off old favorites from her days with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, including “Stop the Bus,” “Apologies” and “Ragged Company.” That set even featured a surprise appearance by her ex-drummer and ex-husband, Matthew Burr, who sat in on a couple of songs, including a take on Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.”
Potter’s July 28 show was a Tina Turner tribute that melded some of her tunes with Turner hits such as “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It” as well as lesser-known efforts by the late soul singer such as her theme song from the James Bond film “GoldenEye.” (Potter mentioned that as a 4-year-old she saw Turner perform at the Champlain Valley Exposition and that the singer’s spirit stayed with her ever since.)
U.S. Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont introduced Potter at the July 28 show, thanking her for her continued efforts with Vermont flood relief, including this month’s severe damage. Potter, whose property in Moretown was hit by flooding July 10, donated her proceeds from the concert series to the cause.
She also recently created the Grand Point Foundation to benefit arts and culture in Vermont.
Is the Grand Point North concert series the same as the Grand Point North Festival
The Grand Point North concert series differed from the old festival in notable ways, including taking place in late July instead of mid-September and extending over four days instead of two. That may have also spread out her audience, as neither of Potter’s shows sold out, unlike the two concerts that preceded them at 4,500-capacity Waterfront Park, The Head and the Heart on July 25 and The Flaming Lips on July 26.
The concert series also had only one stage rather than two as the festival did, reducing the number of bands each night. The emphasis on local acts remained strong, but without top-tier support as the festival had from the likes of Jackson Browne, Trey Anastasio, Ani DiFranco and Guster, the two nights of Potter’s music lacked additional star power.
Still, the weather along Lake Champlain was glorious and the tunes kept thousands of fans happy all weekend. Potter even dropped some news about Grand Point North during Saturday’s set.
“We’re not just coming back tomorrow (Sunday),” she told the crowd. “We’re coming back next year.”
News from Henry Jamison, Sarah King, The Bubs
Several Vermont musicians played stellar sets on both days, with some including newsy information among the tunes.
Burlington singer-songwriter Henry Jamison, whose introspective songs still resonated deeply from the big stage, announced at his July 27 set that his next record is “coming out hopefully soon,” indicating sooner rather than later.
Likewise, buoyant Burlington punk-rockers The Bubs have a new album due out Aug. 23, as band leader Ethan Tapper announced July 27, and will play a record-release show that night at The Monkey House in Winooski.
Ripton blues-rocker Sarah King played her final show July 27 before surgery this week for thyroid cancer. The procedures will take place nerve-rackingly close to King’s vocal cords, and she said it might be her last time sounding as she did during her set, with her big, bluesy voice booming from the stage. A horse aficionado, King and her band performed as a tiny stuffed horse sat on an amplifier on stage that she said would provide her comfort in the hospital in Boston this week.
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Grace Potter's Grand Point North returns: What audiences experienced