Rock superstar Grace Potter will perform this year at Roots N Blues N BBQ, and she has fans from all over the community revved up for her show. She has performed in Columbia with her former American rock band, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, in the past, but she will take the stage as a solo artist this Saturday night.
Columbia resident and five-time Roots N Blues goer Ashley Gross-Minor is a Grace Potter super fan and is excited, to say the least, for Potter’s performance this weekend.
“I saw [Grace Potter] at The Blue Note a few years ago and she is absolutely amazing,” Gross-Minor said in an email. “Her albums come to life onstage through her voice and her dynamic performance.”
Gross-Minor likes Grace Potter and her music for many reasons, one of which is “her style and ability to not change to fit mainstream pop.” This, in turn, gives off a vibe of “real music.”
“Her voice is unreal, and she is incredibly vulnerable in her lyrics and the emotion she evokes through voice is so raw,” Gross-Minor said in an email. “She’s rough on the edges, plays guitar like a boss, and is a bad-ass lady.”
Gross-Minor’s favorite songs include “Nothing But the Water Part 1,” “Hot Summer Night,” “Medicine,” “Stars” and “Empty Heart.”
Local photographer Natalie Shocklee called Grace Potter her favorite female vocalist, and she is also very much looking forward to her performance at the festival this weekend.
“Grace has a soulful, bluesy voice, and her stage presence is absolutely amazing,” Shocklee said in an email. “In my opinion, there is no other female singer who can top what Grace does.”
In 2012, Shocklee saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in concert at The Blue Note, and she describes the experience as “eye-opening.”
“It was my first time seeing her perform and I was beyond impressed,” Shocklee said in an email. “I’ll never forget when she came out on stage and covered ‘White Rabbit.’”
Some of Shocklee’s favorite Grace Potter songs include “Toothbrush and My Table,” “Ragged Company” and “Treat Me Right.” As for albums, her most recent solo album, _Delirious_, is a favorite because of its “different feel” from older albums.
This is Shocklee’s first time attending Roots N Blues N BBQ, and she looks forward to experiencing a Columbia “staple event.”
Grace Potter will perform at 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Great Southern Bank Stage.
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_