On Wednesday night, Vermont’s The Big Picture Theater & Café hosted the Valley Night Big Benefit for Flood Relief. The $5 benefit was scheduled to feature The Big Basin Band, The Detonators, Phineas Gage and 440Hz. Partway through the evening, Grace Potter made a surprise appearance along with Nocturnals drummer Matt Burr. The musical couple debuted “Mad Mad River,” a new original song about the flood, and Potter then played “Honky Tonk Woman” and “Tush” with a local Mad River Valley cover band.

Potter and the Nocturnals are slated to host a flood relief benefit of their own this Sunday at Burlington, VT’s Flynn Theater. In addition to the Nocturnals, the night will feature performances by singer/songwriter Martin Sexton and comedian Rusty Dewees. Billed as Goodnight Irene: Flood Relief Benefit, the evening will also feature an auction for pieces from Vermont based artists such as Cathy McCarthy (acrylic on panel), Lars Fisk (original sketch and drawing), Kat Clear (metal sculpture), Scott Lenhardt (signed print), Adam Di Varney (original painting) and Phish (signed poster) as well as snowboards donated by Long Trail Brewery and Otter Creek Brewery and a Liberty Hill Farm weekend get-away donated by Cabot Creamery. Other featured items will be donated by country superstar Kenny Chesney, folk rocker Ben Harper, New York artist Mark di Suvero and Vermont musician Gregory Douglass.

Vermont Public Television will broadcast two hours of the benefit live from 8 PM to 10 PM, with a simultaneous webcast at www.vpt.org.