San Francisco – The walls of San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium tell quite a story. Everything from the countless concert flyers lining the perimeter of the aptly-named Poster Room to the giant, almost life-sized photo portrait of Jerry Garcia located above the eastern stairwell’s landing speak volumes to the venue’s vast history as a space to gather and enjoy live music. It’s revered as a sort of hallowed ground for any performer, as it is considered quite an honor to be invited to play there. Each performance acts like a brick in the wall of the venue’s history, and a milestone in any musician’s career. This past Wednesday was no different, as two up-and-coming Denver-based acts celebrated the first of their two-night residency: folky blues rock singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff with his band the Night Sweats, and indie folk sextet Paper Bird.
The show kicked off with an hour-long set from Paper Bird, ecstatic about playing to a sold-out crowd at the Fillmore (the last time they were in town, they played the much smaller Bottom of the Hill venue). Their set consisted of nine brand new, unreleased tracks that are set to be featured on their new LP out later this year (the band just finished recording in Nashville with John Oates on production duties). As always, the sounds of their three talented singers (Genny Patterson, Carleigh Aikins, and Sarah Anderson) blended together into beautiful vocal harmonies throughout the set, as well as taking on solo duties throughout—while drummer Mark Anderson, bassist Caleb Summeril and guitarist Paul DeHaven worked effortlessly together to provide a steady flow of rich, bellowing Americana sound. Highlights included “Makin’ Love on a Sunday,” the uplifting timbre of “To the Light,” “The Run,” and their powerful finale: a dynamite cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” which was perfectly arranged to showcase the talent of each individual musician onstage (Carleigh Aikins vocals during the song’s lengthy bridge at the end were especially arresting). They departed looking grateful yet still humble, exhausted but altogether euphoric.
After a brief intermission—during which the floor of the Fillmore was overrun with hungry fans—Nathaniel Rateliff took the stage with his six-piece backing band the Night Sweats amidst thunderous applause. The excitement in the room was palpable, as each face was turned towards the stage and subsequently bathed in the light emanating from it, making the floor look like a sea of half moons from my view on the left side balcony. The crowd’s age demographic was indefinable, as I saw everyone from trendy teenagers, to businessmen fresh from work still dressed in their suits, to retired fanny-pack toting grandmothers…all clapping gleefully and stomping their feet to the bluesy sounds of Rateliff and his band. I am admittedly new to Rateliff’s music, but I now understand why his fan base is so diverse and excited to see him: the sound is full and lush, incorporating healthy doses of brass and organ with two guitars, percussion, and bass, while Rateliff’s gritty yet comforting vocals floated above, like a raft on a river.
Rateliff plunged headfirst into his set with the first track off his eponymous LP with the Night Sweats, “I Need Never Get Old,” which would be the first of many songs performed from said album. Highlights included sunny track “Thank You,” soulful “Howling at Nothing” (somewhat reminiscent of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes), thumper “Trying So Hard Not To Know,” and album closer “Mellow Out.” Rateliff also effortlessly channeled some heartland country sounds with “Wasting Time” and even a little bit of Motown sound in a duo of tracks: “Shake” and “Look It Here.” I was very much reminded of The Band when listening to Rateliff’s music, so it did not come as much of a surprise when, after closing his set with his hit “S.O.B.,” the Night Sweats came back on stage to cover The Band’s “The State I’m In,” much to the delight of many of the concert’s older attendees. Rateliff also treated the crowd to a few tracks not appearing on his Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats LP, namely “The Intro,” “Parlor” and “Out on the Weekend.”
Every show at The Fillmore has a sense of mystical importance linked to it, and this concert featuring two of Denver’s strongest new talents was no different. The thrill of the audience was reflected in the face of every performer that took the stage that night, an inescapable essence that permeated every molecule of the venue, from the beadlets of sweat on Rateliff’s face to the hidden crinkled edges of the hundreds of framed posters lining the walls. It is this essence that gives The Fillmore such an ambience of sacredness, and this show will go down as another epic chapter in the venue’s voluminous history.
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats are currently on a world tour that stretches into the summer and spans three continents. Their self-titled LP, released last year, is now available via Stax. You can read our 2015 interview with Rateliff here.
Paper Bird will be embarking on tour with The Infamous Stringdusters this spring. Their new (as yet untitled) LP is expected this August.
Corey Bell
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