Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – December 17th – Mission Ballroom

While it is billed as “the 6th annual 10th annual holiday shows” and Nathaniel Rateliff himself admitted from the stage of the Mission he couldn’t remember how many of his holiday shows had gone down over the years, I know that back in 2013 I was at the first holiday show to feature The Night Sweats and since then, I’ve been hooked.

The band has steadily grown and the holiday party has shifted from that first year at The Gothic Theatre to The Ogden, and now to The Mission for the second time and, despite rising COVID numbers, the place was sold-out two nights in a row. With a sound that calls to mind Funk, Soul, and Rock legends like James Brown, Otis Redding, and The Band, Rateliff’s project has blossomed into one of the more successful bands of the past 10 years as they have logged countless festival headlining slots, multiple night runs at Red Rocks and high profile gigs around the country. As they proved at The Mission, their success shouldn’t surprise anyone and the opener “You Worry Me” put their infectious sound on display early. (Listen Here!)

As the set went on, Rateliff danced, strummed, and sang his way through favorites like “Say It Louder,” and “Thank You” and the band even cranked up the holiday spirit with a little taste of the Peanuts Theme that saw Rateliff but some of his best moves on display for the adoring crowd. The Night Sweats saved several of my favorite songs for the end of the set as they served up great takes on “Hey Mama,” “Survivor” (a stellar tune from the band’s new record), “Look It Here,” “Coolin’ Out,” and the set closing anthem “I Need Never Get Old.” After taking a few minutes to collect themselves and gather up their friends in The Preservation Hall Jazz Band – who had opened the show with their energy New Orleans Jazz – to join them for the encore, Rateliff and company showcased a pair of tunes from their recent album The Future, the title track and “Love Don’t” sandwiched around the song that put them on the map “S.O.B.”

The Night Sweats Holiday shows have become a welcome tradition in Denver and it was nice to have them back after a necessary hiatus in 2020. This band been remarkably consistent over the course of their career and hopefully these shows will continue to be a part of the fabric on the holiday season in Denver for a long time to come.