Photos and a review of Nathaniel Rateliff in Ottawa

[Another report from Ross MacDonald and Karen Coughtrey. – AC]

Soulful blues rock was the order of the night brought the people out to the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa Saturday night (March 22, 2025) as Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweatsbrought their South of Here tour with openers The Teskey Brothers through town.

Melbourne Australia’s The Teskey Brothers took the stage to the beautifully mournful sound of Nina Simone’s ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’ and then continued to transport the audience back to the 60’s and 70’s by opening with a cover of Freddie King’s ‘I Love The Woman.’ The band plays jazzy-blues-soul-rock; not unlike the rhythm and blues from 1970’s Chicago. And everything from the music, the backing band (including horn section), the simple stage set-up, the font used for the band name, and the mostly warm coloured lights sets a retro tone.

They announced this was their first time in Ottawa, but the size of the early crowd indicated they already had plenty of dedicated fans in Canada’s capital region. They played ‘Pain and Misery,’ ‘Man of the Universe,’ and ‘Crying Shame’ before treating the audience to the live debut of a brand-new song.

The songs in the second half of the hour-long set flowed into one another expertly and seamlessly but included ‘Rain,’ Paint My Heart’, and a very engaging performance of ‘I Get Up’ which included Josh Teskey on harmonica and also saw him on his knees to help bring the powerful soulful lyrics home.

There was little time to return to the present day in the short break between acts and the visit to the musical past continued of course when Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats took their turn on stage. They took to the stage while a retrospective video played, backed by The Chambers Brothers’ ‘Time Has Come Today.’

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats never disappoint and they played a packed 90 minute set, opening strong with ‘David and Goliath,’ ‘I’m On Your Side’, and ‘Survivor’ and would continue with a mix of older favourites and songs off the new album, including the title track ‘South of Here’.

Rateliff is extremely humble and made sure the talents of all his band members were given their due and recognition (Saxophonist Andy Wild’s talent really shone on several numbers throughout the night) as well as shouting out their devoted crew on a few occasions and they dedicated ‘And It’s Still Alright’ to the late Richard Swift, their producer who lost his battle with alcoholism.

His gratefulness extended to the audience, and he offered blessings for their hearts and ears for supporting the band all these years and also expressed thankfulness several times that the Canadian crowd would come out to support an American band with all that has been going on lately with our neighbour to the south.

The Music is rocking but folky and bluesy and full of soul, and it harkens to a bygone era but the band still manages to feel fresh and unique in today’s soundscape. Rateliff occasionally played a tambourine and his way of dancing that sees him wiggle-wobble and glide effortlessly across the stage always brought smiles and the crowd would join him on numbers such as ‘I Need Never Get Old’ and ‘Wasting Time.’

They ended on a high note with a lively rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark.’ before taking just a short break and returning for the encore (with bassist Joseph Pope III now sporting a Canada cap) performing first their huge hit ‘S.O.B.’ and then lowering the energy level and preparing the crowd for the night to come to an end with ‘Love Don’t.’

The Teskey Brothers
Josh Teskey – vocals, rhythm guitar
Sam Teskey – lead guitar

Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Nathaniel Rateliff – vocals, guitar, percussion
Joseph Pope III – bass
Mark Shusterman – keyboards
Patrick Meese – drums
Luke Mossman – guitar
Daniel Hardaway – trumpet
Andy Wild – saxophone
Jeff Dazey – Tenor saxophone