grace potter & the nocturnals.

one of the many things i absolutely loved about steamboat was the free summer concert series. each summer, they bring in 5 bands to play free shows right at the base of howelsen hill. it's a perfect little amphitheater, right in the heart of downtown, with plenty of beautiful space for dancing and a great view of the yampa valley. i took great joy in hopping on my bicycle to ride into town, meeting friends for a snack or drink, and then heading to the show for dancing & more good local food, and always great music. afterwards things tend to get a little rowdy downtown and some of my favorite memories involve such shenanigans & chilly bike rides home! the concerts are wonderful community gatherings with folks of all ages enjoying good music and chatting. over the years i saw phenomenal acts including michael franti, the avett brothers, freddy jones band, easy star allstars, susan tedeshi, drew emmett, sam bush, matt costa, and many more. i would wait each spring for the concerts to be announced, and to be honest, i even waited this year for the concerts to be announced on the off chance that i could arrange a trip out there based around the free concert schedule and the red rocks schedule.

tomorrow night, grace potter will take the stage in my little town. she will rock, the crowd will love her, and i will be here wishing i were there. not only do i love grace's music, but i knew her when we were wee ones. we played together as little kids as our parents were friends, and later on our lives crossed through dance, figure skating & mutual friends. we were never particularly close, but we absolutely knew each other. we were barely out of high school when my mom was sending my gracie's debut cd and a letter describing attending one of her first concerts in a tiny cafe in waitsfield. since then, her career has absolutely taken flight and i think it's safe to say she is on her way to making it big!

luckily, i've got plans of my own to see her perform back here in august, during her annual waterfront concert in burlington. i've seen her there twice before during visits home, and its certain to be a good time.

i'll still be jealously thinking of you all in steamboat tomorrow though. grace had it right when she called colorado "vermont's big sister." see the story on the show here!