New Year. New Venue. Grace Potter and Holy Roller Unleash a Legendary Opening Night at The Exchange on New Year’s Eve in Roanoke, VA | 12.31.25
- Nate Payne
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Photos & Words by: Nate Payne
On New Year’s Eve, rock and roll history unfolded in Downtown Roanoke. Grace Potter and Holy Roller took the stage for the very first concert at The Exchange, a brand-new 1,200-person music hall carved into the bones of the historic First National Exchange Bank. The whole evening felt ceremonial, a city welcoming a new venue, a venue welcoming its first artists, and artists with the kind of presence that turn a concert venue into the stuff of legend.
The Exchange and the Promissory Hotel form a carefully curated experience that respects the past while leaning confidently into the future. The former bank building has been transformed into a striking music hall with multiple bars, intimate sightlines, and architectural surprises hiding in plain sight. Preserved bank vaults remain embedded throughout the building, some repurposed as artist green rooms, others reimagined as tucked-away spaces for guests, including one vault that now operates as a speakeasy. Across-The-Way Productions handles the venue’s operations, and their fingerprints are evident in the thoughtful flow and attention to detail throughout the space.
The Promissory Hotel offers a boutique stay with 27 spacious suite-style rooms defined by clean, modern design. The hotel atrium is also home to ¡Suerte!, an authentic Spanish restaurant led by local restaurateur J.P. Powell and inspired by the legendary New Orleans destination Bacchanal. According to the Promissory Hotel, ¡Suerte! brings “an immersive, community-focused dining experience that welcomes all,” serving carefully curated flavors rooted in Madrid while feeling unmistakably at home in Roanoke.
Early in the evening, Sam Calhoun, Jessica Taylor, and John McBroom addressed the crowd, marking the official debut of The Exchange. The moment signaled the start of a new chapter for downtown Roanoke, as the historic space opened its doors to artists, audiences, and a year poised for live music at full volume.
The night’s festivities began with Virginia favorite, Holy Roller, who earned their own place in history as the first band to ever perform at The Exchange. Their set surged through the audience like a shockwave, priming the crowd and setting a definitive tone for the night ahead. By the time they stepped off stage, anticipation had thickened into something purely electric.
Grace Potter’s band entered one by one in the twilight, the energy rising with each footstep. Drums lit the fuse, and the set detonated with “Medicine.” When Potter stormed the stage, the room flooded with light and low-end thunder as the speakers flexed beneath a tidal wave of rhythmic bass. Her band was primed, featuring Kurtis Keber on bass and vocals, Indya Bratton on guitar, keys, and vocals, Ricky Dover Jr. on guitar and vocals, and Matty Alger on drums and vocals.
Potter moved seamlessly through “Ah Mary” and “Empty Heart” before diving into “Before the Sky Falls,” the intro track from her 2008 album Medicine, produced by T-Bone Burnett and released earlier in 2025. She shifted gears into her Disney favorite, “Something That I Want” from Tangled, drew cheers from the entire room before the band leaned into a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman,” a familiar and welcome detour. The performance emulated the popular YouTube video of her collaboration with Gov’t Mule at Mountain Jam Festival.
Grace Potter New Year’s Eve Setlist 12/31/25
Medicine
Ah Mary
Empty Heart
Before the Sky Falls
Mother Road
Something That I Want
Treat Me Right
Gold Dust Woman
Low Road
Good Time
Nothing But The Water I
Nothing But The Water II
White Rabbit
Auld Lang Syne (Midnight)
The Lion the Beast the Beat
Paris
Encore:
Cortez The Killer (Stars)
Stars (Cortez The Killer)
Midway through the night, the band stepped offstage, leaving Potter alone with Matty Alger for a soul-shaking “Nothing But the Water I.” Their intensity filled the hall before the full band returned to drive “Nothing But the Water II” home with force. As midnight approached, Potter sank into Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” the countdown ticking closer with every spiraling note. When the clock struck twelve, the room erupted into “Auld Lang Syne,” cresting before plunging headlong into “The Lion the Beast the Beat.”
The energy hit its peak and somehow kept climbing. “Paris” nearly sent the venue into a meltdown, and as the final notes rang out, the crowd refused to let go. In a nearly unprecedented move, the band returned with a rarely played blend of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer” woven into Potter’s own “Stars,” a haunting and generous arc to an already mythic night.
Grace Potter closed the evening by reflecting on the magic of welcoming a new year and a new venue. The Exchange did more than open its doors that night; it announced itself with a roar, fueled by Holy Roller and the one and only rock-and-roll gypsy woman, Grace Potter. With this inaugural night in the books, The Exchange positions Roanoke for a formidable 2026, promising a singular, experience-driven music destination poised to reshape the city’s cultural landscape.
For more information about Grace Potter, Holy Roller, The Exchange Music Hall or the Promissory Hotel, please visit the links below!
Grace Potter | New Year's Eve | The Exchange | Nate Payne Photography | 12.31.25
All photographs shown are copyright © Nathan Payne and are presented for web browser viewing only.
Photos contained within this site may not be reproduced, downloaded, stored, copied,
manipulated, altered, or used in any form without prior written permission.
Photography By:
Comments