Nathaniel Raeliff & The Night Sweats and The Teskey Brothers
March 11, 2025
Edmonton, AB
March 11, 2025, marked the kickoff of the second leg of Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats‘ debut headlining arena tour, with the first stop being Edmonton, AB. Following the success of the “South of Here” album, the tour spans 3 legs across North America.
Joining for the trek is The Teskey Brothers, an Australian Blues-Rock outfit. The whole night had a super chill and laid-back vibe, showcasing some extremely talented musicians. I would have put these guys more into the folk-y jazz type space, but that’s what Wikipedia gave me. Despite their musical prowess, I really struggled with the low energy output of their offering.
Rateliff, on the other hand, reminds me of the old-school crooners, and that’s a neat little nod. Again, pretty slow as far as the pace goes, with his two most upbeat songs coming right at the end, one of which being a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, and the critically-acclaimed S.O.B. He’s got a great voice, and is both a skilled on the piano and guitar. Having 8 members total, there were great opportunities to showcase the dynamics of having a brass section, a dedicated pianist, and a powerhouse rhythm section to bring it all together.
Coming down the stage steps during “I Need Never Get Old”, Nathaniel’s foot slipped, and he ended up on the ground. Landing on his back, he continued playing flawlessly, all the while taking a moment to chuckle and recompose himself.
All things considered, a pretty solid show for those who enjoy the bands’ respective styles of music. Not my cup of tea, particularly, but again, that is in no way any kind of slight to the performers; they were all phenomenal players.
