Artist - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Pilgrimage 13

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Nathaniel Rateliff Leaves Fans Sweating Into the Night at Pilgrimage Festival 2023

By Matt Wickstrom

September 27, 2023 7:18 pm GMT

Last Edited December 19, 2023 7:06 pm GMT

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats at Pilgrimage Festival 2023

Closing out Pilgrimage Festival’s Gold Record Road stage on Sept. 24 was rock’n soul collective Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, delivering a jubilant set that lifted spirits and set the stage for the evening’s headliner, Zach Bryan, to follow.

The Denver, Colorado-based ensemble shifted into overdrive the minute they took the stage, tearing into 'Suffer Me' from the group’s recently released What If I EP that perfectly exemplifies their Memphis-meets-Muscle Shoals sound.

From there, the group hopped between different eras of it’s decade-long existence with heavy emphasis on the band’s sophomore album, Tearing At The Seams, with songs like 'Intro', 'Baby I Lost My Way (But I’m Going Home)' and the horn and key-fueled 'A Little Honey'.

Rateliff would be remiss not to reflect back on his self-titled project that started it all with songs from RIAA-certified Platinum hit 'S.O.B.' to 'I Need Never Get Old'.

But it was a couple of unreleased and a cover that sent shockwaves through the crowd most.

Rateliff & Company teased new songs 'Heartless' and 'Time Makes Fools' (the latter with the insatiably introspective hook “Time makes fools of us all / And I’m feeling it now”). Rateliff also dusted off a cover of The Boss' Bruce Springsteen’s timeless hit 'Dancing In The Dark'.

Following the aforementioned 'Time Makes Fools' The Night Sweats closed out the show on 'Love Don’t', the final track from 2021’s The Future that illustrates the compassionate and supportive side of love, yearning for fans to take those ideals from his music out to the rest of their lives like a ripple of positivity to the world.

Rateliff & The Night Sweats will be tearing up the highway through the end of the year, playing shows with everyone from Sierra Ferrell to Kevin Morby, City and Colour and a hometown show at Denver’s Ball Arena on Dec. 15 with Mt. Joy and Jaime Wyatt. A tour across Canada will follow in February 2024.