Grace Potter Plays Off-The-Cuff Show in NYC

Last updated: 1 Sep 2026, 15:53:16
Published: 1 Sep 2026, 15:53:16
Written by: noahjwade_
Photography by: Unique Nicole/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Categories: Tour DatesOn Tour NowGeneral NewsReviews Tagged: Grace Potter City Winery New York City Love Me Not Grace Potter at City Winery New York City (The Loft)

With two high-profile shows opening for The Zac Brown Band at Forest Hills looming, Grace Potter took to the Loft stage at City Winery this past Wednesday night for an intimate night of music, laughs, remembrance, and, of course, wine. The event was hosted by WFUV radio, found at 90.7 FM, a station Potter repeatedly and graciously thanked for their support of “Love Me Not,” the lead single off her new album Trespasser.

Opening the show was local Brooklyn-based songwriter Kristen Ingrid, introducing herself with a lovely string of lilting yet sanguine folk. To close, she’d lead the crowd through a singalong of the rather wordy chorus of her tune “goodluck! goodbye!” with a bright smile and a whole lot of assurance. She promised the lyrics would stick after one or two go arounds, and, for the most part, they did: “Goodbye my lovers from way back when/ Good luck to all of the fine people I may never see again/ Good luck to angels, so far from home/ Good luck to all of the fine people I have known.” As the near six-minute song drew to a close, she grinned and nodded in approval.

The passing of Dolly Parton, announced to the world just the morning prior, and Tim Curry, earlier that day, weighed heavy on the world in this moment, yet headliner Grace Potter did her best to soften the blows. She took the stage with no course of action, admitting that, when approached by the powers that be, she had nothing for them. To paraphrase, she gleefully stated, “Even when we’re in stadiums with Kenny Chesney, we don’t have a setlist.” Instead, she shot from the hip, sharing stories and personal anecdotes, such as from that of her emotional morning dropping her son off for his first day of school back home in Vermont before flying down to Newark.

She opened with “Main Street U.S.A,” a focus track from the new record, and, as this writer sat mere feet from the stage, it’s clear why Potter, along with her band The Nocturnals, have sustained and thrived in the industry for nearly two decades following the release of their signature hit “Paris (Ooh La La).” “Paris…” is often attempted, but rarely done with justice (even Adam Lambert himself could not rally a one-time American Idol contestant to find her way into a character while covering it on the show). Potter’s expansive vocal and dynamic range, effortless and refined stage presence, and general connectivity with both the audience and the music itself are second to none.

From “Main Street…,” she moved into an impromptu medley of songs by Dolly, performed by Curry, and of her own catalog. She began with a tease of, and eventually a snippet, of “Easy Street,” Curry’s standout musical number from the 1982 Annie film alongside Bernadette Peters and Carol Burnett, before moving to Dolly’s “9 to 5,” for which she looked to the audience for lyrical assistance with a laugh. Aborting rather quickly, she shifted to “Gasoline,” a light Doo-Wop leaning tune from the new record, and then to “Jolene” and a tease of “I Will Always Love You.” She chose to not linger on the latter, though the room stiffened as she sang it. Instead of diving in too deep, she’d transition to yet another Trespasser track with the unfurling storytelling song “War on the Mountain.”

New tune “Run Baby Run” contains one of the most effective and memorable hooks of the new record, and was played in full. A second rendition of “Jolene” was played, though only partially, with her guitar tech Matty strumming the guitar. Potter repeatedly joked of her desire to cut his hair, tied in a bun, throughout the night, and, typical of a guitar tech, he smiled, nodded, and said “Yes ma’am!”

A second, and more complete, version of “I Will Always Love You” was played in tandem with “Release,” a standalone single from 2019 detailing her divorce from her first husband, whom she says she is lucky to be on great terms with. The self-penned piano ballad lent itself to the Dolly classic, and Potter’s “IWALY,” as many contemporary versions do, meet in the middle between Dolly and Whitney, but with a slight hint of expected restraint when one tends to find themselves near Whitney territory.

Appropriately, “Love Me Not” closed out the evening, and earned a standing ovation from the New York crowd. The tune has all the makings of a standout adult contemporary hit, and WFUV is leading the charge of its promotion via traditional format. For Potter, this evening allowed for the opportunity to let her hair down, pay tribute to those we lost, and play new tunes for a small yet engaged audience who, having heard a bulk of the project up close, are surely more inclined to give it a listen.

With two additional events occurring in the building, an infectious energy was present throughout City Winery from the Loft down to the lobby, even well after Potter exited the stage. Of course, her fun was just getting started, as she’d soon be in front of a stadium sized crowd ready to catch one of the biggest bands in live touring. But, they’d have to wait for Potter to tear up the stage first.