I’ve been wanting to see Nathaniel Rateliff ever since my wife woke me up one morning in 2015 by screaming, “Bitch! I want a drink!” Lyric recall is not her strong suit and usually I’m introducing her to new artists. That’s our vibe.
I’ve been avoiding Leonard Cohen since probably the 90s when I learned that my least favourite Don Henley song was written by him. I thought at once, it’s boring and simultaneously too smart for me. The second idea really stuck for a long time. As more Cohen songs filtered into my consciousness, I doubled down on this idea that he’s inaccessible to my pop-loving brain. I told myself someday. Someday, I will deep dive and really try to appreciate a poet at the level I aspire to. Hard to write well if you don’t read much. Hard to be touched if you keep your ears closed.
So this is it. For me, the perfect collision.
Nathaniel truly loves Leonard Cohen. That he holds him in such high regard while having his own incredible catalog that is still in its fertile prime indicates Rateliff has absorbed and taken Cohen truly to heart. The common themes of existence and spirituality, as well as their delicate, insightful handling of depression and how alcohol and drugs fit into everyday life, all under the banner of introspection. In the dark, always hoping for light.
Salle Willfrid-Pelletier is a perfectly Montreal place for this evening to take place. One imagines Nathaniel and his band, as well as the “Wordless Orchestra,” drinking it all in, feeling Leonard’s spirit everywhere. This place was where Leonard himself opened the world-renouned Montreal Jazzfest 15 years ago at age 73. What a beautiful house of music.
From the opening number, “Bird on a Wire,” Nathaniel announced his intention to show the ultimate respect. We are tingling.
As the evening continues, it becomes easier to transport yourself into these great artists’ shared world. Maybe in a spider-verse where Leonard lived a touch longer and Nathaniel was discovered and broke big a touch earlier, they would have graced the same stage at the same time. It’s therapeutic to feel that truly great art continues to be created and the past is appreciated and given new life.
Highlights for me were the revelatory “Dance Me to the End of Love”, the emotive “Sisters of Mercy”, and the breathtaking “True Love Leaves no Traces”, which was a new Cohen song for me.
“Famous Blue Raincoat” was a punch to the gut. The orchestra tastefully swept us off our feet and into a crescendo. It was, as Michael Scott once said, “emotionally magnificent.”
As the night drew to a close with a heartfelt rendition of “Hallelujah,” there was a sense of gratitude and reverence in the air. Rateliff’s triumph was not just a performance; it was a tribute to a musical icon whose influence continues to reverberate across generations.
I eagerly await my first Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats show, yet I feel I’ve been given the gift of a type of civilization. Leonard Cohen no longer feels too lofty to appreciate, now it feels like a warm place to escape and meditate.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Rateliff’s show at Montreal’s vaunted Salle Willfred-Pelletier was an out-of-body experience for both artists and audience. It was a night filled with soul-stirring music, poignant lyrics, and heartfelt performances that honoured Cohen’s legacy. Without words, Rateliff told us he could do this show many more times. And we do want this show again.
A respectful 10/10.
Review – Mike Rogers
Photos – Steve Gerrard
