One of the most anticipated sets at the festival this year, Nataniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, made good on their promise by delivered some down home swamp boogie to the teaming masses inside the Speigeltent. A number of hardcore fans leaned over the front row balcony, eager to catch an eyeful of namesake frontman and the Leslie organ at the front of the stage.

Not used to such tight confines, it was a challenge for the band to consolidate into the venues smallish mixing board. To get better sound, many crowded close, making the venue appear eve more intimate.

Mr. Rateliff let the band take the stage first and then duck legged his way in and kicked into opening number “Shoe Boot.” As is want of many hard touring bands, it took them a few songs to hit their market and after “Be There” and “Look it Here”, they really their stride with “Little Honey” and homage to old time soul and R&B. The song really featured Rateliff’s crooning voice. After that was the boogie of “Out on the Weekend” and “You Worry Me”. And as the 45-minute set was coming to an end, it was going to be the clap along songs ‘I Need Never”, “Trying So Hard”, and “SOB”.

By the end, we were all believers and converts. Overcoming sound problems and great distances, the band was able to deliver a performance that will be hard to top, unless your talking about a 2-hour Field of Heaven show on Saturday night.