Nathaniel Rateliff
Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
01.22.16
When I first heard of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, I only knew two things: 1) They stole the show at this year’s Deck The Hall Ball and 2) Nathaniel looked like a cross between Crocodile Dundee and a member of ZZ Top. Then I started to listen to them and I was hooked. Nathaniel and his six merry musicians descended upon the Neptune Theater supporting their debut self-titled album with their unique brand of “down home Americana funky rock n’ roll”.
Starting the set off with my personal favorite, “I Need Never Get Old”, it was apparent from the beginning that their sole mission was to get the crowd dancing under a blanket of rhythm and soul. This is an unbelievably tight band musically, reminding me of the Blues Brothers band not only with their musical prowess, but for the sheer, unabashed fun they were having on stage, especially his horn section of Wesley Watkins (Trumpet) and Andy Wild (Saxophone). No one in the crowd could deny that they were having as much a good time on stage as the dancers up in the balcony.
Rateliff has a raw, passionate voice that is unique in today’s musical landscape. Whether he is taking the crowd to church with his cover of the Band’s gospel influenced ballad, “The Shape I’m In” or blowing the roof off of any joint with my favorite song of the night, “Out On The Weekend”, he seems to lose himself in the moment and lays everything out on stage. Side notes: For a big man, he has quite the arsenal of moves. Also, I have never seen anyone play the tambourine harder.
As the concert ended and the doors opened leading out to 45th Street, the satisfied fans welcomed the cool evening air to temper their own night sweats caused by this soul-stirring band.
Review and photos by Phillip Johnson
Nathaniel Rateliff
