Grace Potter Brings Hot Flashes of Rock n’ Roll to Ridgefield

Grace Potter is my kind of artist, a wild, vocal powerhouse and badass rockmommy whose intimate August 2nd outdoor show in sleepy, suburban Ridgefield, Connecticut, was one of the best nights of summer.

While I wasn’t as quick as the other Gen X fans to rent a lawn chair (they sold out in minutes!), Ridgefield Playhouse’s sprawling lawn turned out to be the perfect setting for a night that mixed electrified classics with newer, road-trip-worthy bangers.

After kicking off her set before sunset with “Medicine” (from the 2009 self-titled GP and the Nocturnals‘ album), Potter and her band of “kids”— guitarists Indya Bratton and Ricky Dover Jr, bassist Kurtis Keber, and drummer Jordan West) — played a fun show that balanced old and new, psychedelic country and rock n’ roll.

Potter and her band paired heartwarming backstories with favorites like “Ah Mary” and “Nothing But the Water,” while a rendition Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman” and her vibrant summer single “Love Me Not” (from her forthcoming album Tresspasser out August 21) landed perfectly.

I also loved watching her bounce between her signature Gibson V-shaped electric guitar and her Wurlitzer keyboard. The acoustic rendition of “Mother Road,” the title track from her 2023 album, offered a version I hadn’t heard yet (and might love more than the original).

She capped off the night with my favorite Nocturnals’ songs — “The Lion the Beast the Beat” and “Paris, Ooh, La La,” the latter made extra-special with a cameo from her son, dancing to a snippit of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Sadly, I had to get back to my own kids an hour away and I missed this moment, so I was grateful to unearth the video earlier today (see below).

But the non musical aspects of the show were also some of the most memorable. When Grace Potter tossed off her blouse and told the audience “perimenopause is hot right now,” it was a reminder that so many things, like confidence and badassery, can get better with age. Potter, a 43-year-old mom who admittedly spent the day watching Home Alone and other movies with her son, is as powerful and soulful as ever. She sings like a lion and a beast. She proves that experience is like fine wine, even in a culture that worships youth.

And though it will be hard to replicate this perfect show, I cannot wait to see her again.

[SEE RELATED: My Top 10 Favorite Grace Potter Songs in Honor of the Rockmommy’s 6/20 Birthday]