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Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats Sold Out
Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats Setlist
Israel Nash Setlist
Tour Dates
08/09/2018 KettleHouse Amphitheater Missoula, MT
08/10/2018 McMenamins Edgefield Troutdale, OR 08/11/2018 Burnaby Blues & Roots Festival 08/12/2018 Marymoor Park Seattle, WA 08/15/2018 Greek Theatre Los Angeles, CA 08/18/2018 Fox Theater Oakland, CA 08/19/2018 Fox Theater Oakland, CA 08/21/2018 Belly Up Aspen Aspen, CO 08/22/2018 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO 08/23/2018 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, CO 09/15/2018 Thompson's Point Portland, ME 09/16/2018 Grand Point North Burlington, VT 09/18/2018 L' Imperial Quebec City QC 09/19/2018 The Arena at TD Place Ottawa, CAN 09/21/2018 Outlaw Music Festival 09/22/2018 Farm Aid 09/23/2018 Outlaw Music Festival 09/27/2018 The Sylvee Madison, WI 09/30/2018 Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival 10/04/2018 Express Live! Columbus, OH 11/07/2018 Riverwalk Center Breckenridge, CO 11/08/2018 Avalon Theatre Grand Junction, CO 11/10/2018 Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre Denver, CO 11/18/2018 Corona Capital Mexico City, MX 12/31/2018 Grand Ole Opry House Nashville, TN Read More
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The floor was so packed, the venue itself was almost tearing at the seams-
Denver-based soul/blues/rock band Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats filled the house at the Palace Theatre in downtown St. Paul, for a long ago sold-out night of musical revelry with a joyous sound that blends old and new.
Opening the evening was Texas (via Missouri and NYC) singer-songwriter Israel Nash, in support of his latest full-length, Lifted, which was just released. Nash and band, bookended by guitar mates Eric Swanson and Joey McClellan, proved to be the ideal and most complimentary opener for the main act, - the band showing a great deal of musical cohesion, playing a sound that also echoed the past as well as looked ahead to the future.
Mid-‘70s Neil Young and Crazy Horse is the obvious sound comparison, but there’s a very American sense of wanderlust to the lyrics and a modernizing in the sound, that keeps them from being m ore than merely influenced, which is a good thing. Touches of the Allman Brothers and the Laurel Canyon movement, as well as a little Texas twang, can also be heard in their music, which is generally laid-back and crowd pleasing.
One musical surprise was their set-closing Radiohead cover, faithful but in a campfire under the stars kind of way, that made it their own. The forty-five minute opening set ended up not being enough, but the band returns here next month, to The Turf Club, to suitably stretch out for a full headlining set.
What a difference a few years makes--
It wasn’t that long ago that Nathaniel Rateliff was playing (often as support) in smaller area venues like The 7th St Entry and Turf Club and questioning his own musical existence before morphing his sound (along with longtime bassist/collaborator Joseph Pope) into a more upbeat soulful sound that recalled the musical glee of ‘60s-era Stax Records singles. Staying loyal enough to his own point of view to remain unique, The Night Sweats were born, immediately getting people to sit up and take notice.
The crowd was already whipped up, huddled in close quarters, converted by the end of Nash’s set, and ready to celebrate, as Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats took to the stage for their eighty-minute headlining set. The band (which included a three-piece horn section) was impeccably lit – compliments of expertly placed vari-lites above them and a series of eight freestanding honeycomb-shaped lights behind the band – something every photographer appreciates, but most in the crowd as well, as music this joyous deserves to be heard, and seen.
Starting simply with the mid-tempo ‘Shoe Boot’ from new album, Tearing at the Seams (Stax Records), the template was set for the chugging, soul-baring, musically cathartic performance to come. No goading was required to get the crowd to clap or sing along, as evidenced on 2016’s ‘Look it Here’ and ‘I Did It’ with Rateliff’s slightly raspy voice the perfect vehicle to impart these confessional lyrics.
‘Say it Louder’ from the new record, was “dedicated to the kids across the United States and all around the world, trying to change gun legislation” which drew a roar from the mostly younger audience and ‘A Little Honey’ Rateliff confessed as being one of his favorites from the newest album.
Being the end of the weekend, ‘Out On the Weekend’ got a big response, with people clapping along (helped along by keyboardist and frantically happy head-cheerleader Mark Shusterman) as the horn section introduced the bouncing track, then the brass trio stepped out front under spare lighting for a brief solo, before the rest of the band kicked in on the torch song, ‘Babe I Know’.
Rateliff admitted the beginning of ‘Hey Mama’ was “a little tricky” but the simmering ballad got off without a hitch, building as the verses continued. The momentum continued with a one/two/three combination of decisive knockout blows on ‘I Need Never Get Old’, ‘Trying So Hard Not to Know’ (their first song written together), and breakout hit, ‘S.O.B.’ to end the main set, with Rateliff finally shimmying a dance with his boots swaying left and right across the stage.
“You make an insecure p.o.s. like me feel really good!”, Rateliff said, emerging for the encore, paying homage to their friend The Boss with their soulful cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Atlantic City’, before bowing and heading off to a standing ovation of cheers and whistles.
A musical secret no more, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats have those smaller venues way back in their rear view mirror (though they did return to The Turf Club the next afternoon for a short radio promotion set)- look for the band to return at an even bigger venue the next time through, and likely another instantly sold out show.
(click on any photo below to enlarge and see full image)
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