Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats – August 26th – Syntax Physic Opera

Photo by Tim Dwenger
(From Nathaniel Rateliff’s 2014 Holiday Show)

The Scene: Syntax Physic Opera is a new and welcome addition to the Denver music scene. Set on south Broadway, just enough south of the madness to make both dinner options and parking easy, this small venue (perhaps 200 people) with a cool, red-velvet backed stage, is a great space for up and coming acts. We arrived at the venue just after the doors opened in anticipation of a sold out crowd, but found it small enough that we had plenty of time and space to slide up to the bar and have one of the bartenders create a great cocktail before the music started. Other folks were ordering snacks and meals from the kitchen, and everyone was sharing smiles as we all felt pretty lucky for scoring tickets to one of the last minute shows announced by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats before they head out on a lengthy domestic and international tour.

Opener: Mile High Soul Club:  These three DJs warmed up the crowd spinning 60s soul songs. I recognized some of the more popular tracks from Otis Redding, James Brown and Nancy Sinatra, and appreciated some of the more obscure tracks they pulled from their impressive collection of 45s. The audience wasn’t sold however, perhaps in anticipation of the high-energy headliners, or perhaps because the venue was doing such a great job with the music being piped in before these guys stepped up on stage. I’d love to see them in a different environment, perhaps when I’m not in the mindset of a live show.

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats: In the classic movie Dirty Dancing, Baby is bored by the music and activities offered to the families at Kellerman’s, and finds her way to the staff party. The barn doors open into a hot room: insanely soulful music, sweaty dancers, and red lights on all of the action. Wednesday night at the Syntax Opera felt like finally discovering that staff party, full of the soul you’ve been searching for in the live music scene.

There was some pretty serious anticipation in the air when the headliners hit the stage. Nathaniel Rateliff has been performing as a solo artist for many years around Denver, and he began performing with the Night Sweats about two years ago. Their first album was released in August, and it was likely their performance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show that catapulted this talented group of musicians into the consciousness of people across the country.  They opened with the first track on their self-titled album, “I Need Never Get Old.” Immediately the crowd was grooving right along with the 8-piece band, with folks singing along to the anthemic chorus.  At the end of the song, Rateliff thanked us for being there (one of many times throughout the night), and commented that they’d be playing nothing but the hits; he then laughed and said, “That’s been a joke for a long time, but now it works.” Apparently those of us in the crowd weren’t the only ones feeling lucky to be there.

The band kept the energy high as they moved into “Look It Here,” giving the horn section a chance to shine. As the band worked its way through the album, the crowd got sweatier and the smiles got bigger. The next song opened with the keyboardist shifting to the organ and Rateliff picking up a tambourine, giving the song a gospel feel. “Howling at Nothing” gave the band and the crowd a chance to slow down and cool down, but we all got moving again with “Trying So Hard Not to Know.” The band mopped their brows and dug into “Shake,” straying a bit from the recording and giving Rateliff a little space for a guitar solo. In the expected climax to the show, the band relished digging into “S.O.B.,” with the crowd singing the chorus loud and proud (although I was expecting a mosh-pit-like reaction to the chorus, and the crowd didn’t deliver). Rateliff encored solo with a beautiful version of “I’d Be Waiting”: “I’m just saying, mmm baby, I’ll be waiting all day, just to dance with you.” I have been waiting for this album for almost two years, so I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Energy: A-
Musicianship: A
Sound: A-
Stage Presence: A-
Set/Light Show: B

Overall: A-