Grace Potter and her band took the stage at Brooklyn Bowl for a special appearance to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the popular music venue/bowling alley/fried chicken restaurant in Brooklyn, NY.

At the intimate performance, which was announced just over a week before the show day, the always likeable rocker was in her element: All night long, a relaxed and talkative Potter told old stories from the Brooklyn Bowl with disarming irreverence and cracked jokes for the enthusiastic audience with engaging charm (sometimes at their expense).

Supported by an excellent band with guitarists Indya Bratton And Ricky Dover, Jr.drummer Jordan WestBassist Kurtis Keberand keyboardist Drew MaloneGrace could roam the stage like a tiger in a sequined miniskirt, switching between the microphone, acoustic guitar, Flying V, tambourine and Wurlitzer depending on her mood and telling entertaining anecdotes about hitchhiking on Phish Tour and other such mishaps between songs. The music rarely stopped, even when Potter seemed to spontaneously come up with new ideas, which gave the whole show a sense of fluidity despite the wide range of material on display.

“I remember bowling here not too long ago,” she mused. “I remember friends telling me that a rock bar in a bowling alley with a really good friend Chicken the matter. … Now I’m thinking, “Sure!” Elsewhere, she noted that even the smell of the wood in the Brooklyn Bowl dressing room brings back vivid memories for her – including the time one of her bandmates threw a beer bottle at her head (don’t worry, they’ve buried the hatchet). “I never want to leave the Brooklyn Bowl, ever,” she added later to loud cheers.

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During the course of the evening, the Vermonter often seemed to lose herself in the music (and her flowing blonde curls) – as during a clearly White stripes-esque guitar and drum duet with West on “Nothing but the Water (I)” – but a funny thought or witty remark quickly snapped her out of her trance and brought the crowd back into their flow state. For her encore, she spoke with moving vulnerability before a solo rendition of one of the oldest pieces, “Ragged Company,” before welcoming the band back on stage and taking requests from the audience for the final four songs of the evening.

A familial sense of security underscored her exuberant charisma throughout the evening—literally, as she once received help from the front row to take off her boots and get more comfortable—and Grace is certainly not the only one who feels at home at the Brooklyn Bowl. For 15 years, the living room of the New York music scene has provided space for countless unforgettable nights and magical moments. After Thursday night, we can add this last-minute weekday session with Grace Potter to that list. Happy 15th, Brooklyn Bowl!

Check out Grace Potter’s full setlist and Thursday’s performance at Brooklyn Bowl below, and scroll down to see a gallery of photos from the performance via Ken Spielman.

For a full list of Grace Potter’s upcoming tour dates, click here. For a full list of upcoming events at Brooklyn Bowl, click here.

Setlist: Grace Potter | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY | 8.8.24

Sentence: Lady Vagabond, Medicine (1), Ah Mary, The Man in Me (Bob Dylan), Empty Heart, Mother Road, Toothbrush and My Table, Walking on the Moon (The Police), Apologies, Nothing but the Water (I) (2), Ghostbusters (Ray Parker Jr.), Turntable
Encore: Ragged Company, Masterpiece (3), The Lion, the Beast, the Beat (3), Love is Love (3), Paris (Ooh La La) (3)

(1) I got my mojo working – Intro
(2) Grace Potter (electric guitar) and Jordan West (drums) rock duet
(3) Played at the request of the audience