NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS AT RABBIT RABBIT IN ASHEVILLE
After a long hiatus from attending and shooting live shows, it turned out to be the perfect fall evening in the mountains of North Carolina to enjoy a soulful performance at our newest outdoor venue in Asheville, Rabbit Rabbit. On the bill were Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats with guest Bahamas setting the tone for the night. Afie Jurvanen, who goes by his stage name, Bahamas, took to the stage, just him and his guitar, and drew the crowd in with every additional song. It was quite enjoyable to witness his banter with the crowd, I liked the way he fed off of their energy and in return, it was easy as an audience to lose yourself in his indie style music and just vibe.
More and more people started to pack in and the energy of the crowd shifted to that of an excited buzzing. Like me, I could feel that this was one of the first larger shows many guests were experiencing since live music was put on hold. A couple at the front turned out to be huge Nathaniel Rateliff fans, and the pure joy on their faces when the lights came up and The Night Sweats filtered onto the stage was iconic. Starting with drums, one instrument at a time was highlighted and added to the melody to kick the show off with their song “Shoe Boot”. Feet started tapping and shoulders began to shimmy, as the crowd lit up to the arrival of Nathaniel to the stage. If the funky folk roots weren’t enough already, I was impressed with their lighting scheme as well. They did a great job of incorporating the entire stage and accenting the songs with fun layouts I don’t typically see at bluesy shows.
This tour comes as the band prepares for the release of their new album The Future, on November 5th. They performed “Survivor”, off of said album which is a great showcase of Nathaniel’s strong vocals. As the night went on I was reminded of how unifying great music can be. Beach balls and floaties were blown up in the crowd and tossed around as the party got grooving. All in all, it was a show I’m glad I caught. If you love a bit of a gritty Americana blues sound with some funky horns and jazz melodies thrown in, you’ll want to be sure to catch Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats too!