05 May Rockin’ with Rateliff

Before Nathaniel Rateliff was headlining night two of SunFest, he was drumming for his church’s band out of rural Missouri.

And last night, it felt like the singer brought us to a little blues club in the area.

Dressed in a baseball cap and a black button down, Rateliff and his seven piece band — The Night Sweats — took over the JetBlue stage for a night full of classic, solid, soul and blues; with a touch of country twang from Rateliff’s midwestern accent.

“The last few years have really changed our lives,” Rateliff told the crowd. “And it’s all because of you, so thank you so much.”

Nathaniel Rateliff started creating music back in 2005, but joined by his band of rhythm and horns, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats were catapulted into fame in 2015. That’s when the platinum single, “S.O.B.” was released — not bad for a guy who wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music as a kid.

Despite Rateliff’s deep, soulful and booming voice, the singer was surprisingly soft spoken between songs. But with a set list full of heartfelt, bluesy songs, like “I Did It,” “Howling at Nothing,” and “A Little Honey,” it’s not like he really had to say much.

As the band’s sweet sounds filled the night, couples slow danced, swaying alongside the palm trees under the moon’s glow.

Rateliff switched between guitars and even a tambourine throughout the night as the band played songs like “Coolin’ Out,” from the band’s latest album, “Tearing at the Seams.”

“Tearing at the Seams” is the band’s third album, and it croons with warm, delightful sounds of organs and horns.

It’s funny — one fan in the crowd called the band “the new Blues Brothers,” and they aren’t far off. The band, which is made up of Joseph Pope III on bass, Mark Shusterman on the keys, Patrick Meese on drums, Wesley Watkins on trumpet, Andy Wild on sax and Luke Mossman on guitar, matched up with Rateliff’s raspy growl truly do evoke some Blues Brothers in its set.

I think it’s because of the level of pure energy the group brings to its performances. At some points, you couldn’t even tell if Meese was sitting or standing behind his kit because he kept rising up from his throne so often.

Songs like “Intro” — track seven on “Tearing at the Seams” — morphed from what was originally recorded as a four minute song into a drawn out jam session, highlighting each Night Sweats band mate’s skills.

Of course, Rateliff couldn’t leave without paying homage to the song that gave him and his group the platform they now stood on. He and the Night Sweats broke out a rowdy version of “S.O.B.” that the crowd went crazy for. It was padded with new, second-line-like horn solos and crowd singalongs during the song’s signature “ohhhs.”

“Cheers everybody, it’s a pleasure to be here,” Rateliff said. “It’s been a pleasure to be with you.”