Burlington’s Finest: Grand Point North 2017 – Review & Photos
By Bryan Lasky Sep 22, 2017 • 9:11 am PDT
Words & Images by: Bryan Lasky
Grand Point North Festival :: 9.16-17.17
Waterfront Park :: Burlington, VT
Waterfront Park :: Burlington, VT
View Bryan’s photo galleries after his review.
The annual end of summer Grand Point North music festival once again took place in Burlington, Vermont at the beautiful Waterfront Park. For the first time in the festival’s history, host Grace Potter only headlined one night, while the Trey Anastasio Band headlined the other. We’ve already covered Trey’s show, so here is how the rest of the weekend played out.
Hot and sunny weather dominated both days of the festival and it felt more like summer this year than fall. Spirits were high both days with plenty of people arriving early to check out the local acts. With music pretty much never stopping with the two-stage design, it was off to the races with four smaller local acts each day getting the music started. On Saturday Troy Millette & Dylan Gombas kicked things off with many covers and were followed by a very funky set by Snakefoot and later a rocking trio in Lake Superior. Smalltalkers were the last smaller act and were full of sweet soul music.
Tank and the Bangas definitely deserve every ounce of hype that they have been getting since winning the NPR Tiny Desk contest. Their set was absolutely stunning and had the crowd going wild. Hurray for the Riff Raff followed that up with a chill set of tunes as the sun slowly started to come down. It was a great set and a necessary breather for everyone. As soon as they finished, Mondo Cozmo came out with all cylinders running and went straight to 100 and kept it at that level for the whole set. The band has been constantly getting praise this festival season and show no signs of slowing down.
Dawes took the pre-headliner spot and rocked their set. They stuck to good old rock ‘n’ roll and were just having an absolute blast on stage. Potter and her band came out next to a loud crowd who had been waiting to see her all day. A strong start of “Medicine” and “Ah Mary” gave way to part of “Put A Little Love in Your Heart” and “Empty Heart.” She announced to the crowd she was pregnant and how thankful she was that the festival could take place again this year. Despite the pregnancy she was still dancing all about the stage while the band roared through every song. A lengthy “The Lion the Beat the Beat” closed the set before a quick three song encore ended day one.
A wonderful aspect of the festival is the family vibe that comes with it. Everyone seems to know one another and it was more prevalent on Sunday as it seemed the whole city came out for Trey’s headlining set. Starting the day though was Eastern Mountain Time with some easy going acoustic rock ‘n’ roll followed by The Welterweights who plugged it all in played it loud for everyone. Barika took over next and electrified the crowd and even got some help from Haley Jane on one song. Henry Jamesclosed out the small local act portion with some low-key folk rock.
Son Little was a slow build for most of the set, but when he and his band let loose it was fantastic. Low Cut Connie put on a display of showmanship. Watching the band smile as they played their songs was absolutely infectious. Adam Weiner, the lead singer and piano player, is one of the best frontmen out there today. He went into the crowd, jumped from his piano, and danced all over the stage. The other members weren’t standing still either. It honestly felt like a storm ripped through the park as they played with how wild they were. Grace always books a solid festival with a few unexpected stand outs, and Low Cut Connie were definitely one of them.
Joseph kept the energy high with the three sisters showing off their amazing vocals. The sun began to set as they absolutely nailed their time on stage. Watching Meegan, Allison and Natalie play their music is just an absolute joy.
From there it was back to Grace Potter for her last set of the weekend. To start the set, she had everyone turn to watch the end of the sunset. She played her heart out and debuted a new song she had written four days prior titled “Release You.” The band was extremely tight and didn’t miss a beat the whole set. She also paid tribute to David Bowie, covering his Labyrinth song “As the World Falls Down.” She stressed again how important it is for everyone to take care of themselves and one another. With a one two punch of “Turntable” and “The Lion the Beast the Beat” she waved bye to the crowd and thanked them again for making the festival possible. From there it was on to Trey Anastasio Band and their fantastic, guest-filled performance.
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