Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats perform at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2025. Karen Goldman/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats closed out the West Coast leg of their tour in support of their latest album at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Saturday night.

A few songs into his set, the Colorado artist announced that San Francisco was one of his favorite cities, before relating a story from years ago, in which he and the band were discombobulated by some cannabis brownies offered to them by a fan.

“I was tripping my fucking balls off,” Rateliff said, adding that he’d found his friend and Night Sweats bassist Joseph Pope III later that night eating cherries in a Safeway, “as people do in San Francisco.”

The singer-songwriter and his seven-member band roused the crowd with a marathon set that drew from the band’s latest album, South of Here, as well as offering a smattering of songs from their earlier works. Rateliff kicked things off behind the piano, playing the familiar staccato intro for the newer album’s opening tune, “David and Goliath.” After emerging from behind the piano, clad in a suit, open collar shirt and cowboy boots, his vibe shifted throughout the concert between revival preacher, motivational speaker and supportive coach urging his players to a brighter second half.

Rateliff’s first show of support came during soulful tune “I’m On Your Side,” off 2021 album The Future. But songs like “Face Down in the Moment” and “Hey Mama” also challenged the audience to rise to whatever occasion they may be facing. Based on the frenetic dancing, some found inspiration in the funky clavinet bass featured in “Survivor.”

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats perform at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2025.

Rateliff provided some of the most intense guitar pyrotechnics of the evening, strapping on a Fender Telecaster and delivering some blistering leads at the beginning of “Look It Here” and “I Need Never Get Old,” from the band’s self-titled 2015 debut. But elsewhere in the set, he created more understated musical moments. A delicate rendition of “And it’s Still Alright,” the title track from his 2020 solo album, had Rateliff playing acoustic guitar with keyboardist Mark Shusterman and guitarist Luke Mossman.

Later, he and his horn section played “Slow Pace of Time,” a sparse and elegant outtake from The Future sessions that wound up on 2023’s What If I? EP.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats worked hard to build the energy with horn player Jeff Dazey and Shusterman rushing to the front of the stage to hype up the crowd. By the end of the set, was surpassed 90 minutes, the audience was on its feet and dancing for a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark.”

During the encore, Rateliff again assumed the role of itinerant preacher, waving his hands at the sky as attendees sang along with the greatest intensity of the evening. After thanking the band’s crew and families, the band ended the night with the Motown-esque intensity of “Love Don’t.”

Iron & Wine performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2025.

Earlier in the evening, South Carolinian Iron & Wine, singer-songwriter Samuel Ervin Beam, performed a solo acoustic set.

“It’s kinda chilly in here,” said Beam, barefoot and clad in denim. “Let’s warm that shit up.”

During a delicate rendition of “The Trapeze Singer,” Beam sang, “The pearly gates had some eloquent graffiti/ Like ‘We’ll meet again’ and ‘Fuck the man,'” which drew cheers. On “Yellow Jacket,” from 2024’s Light Verse, Beam slowly built musical momentum from delicate a capella voice to powerfully strummed acoustic guitar.

“You guys are fun,” Beam said before walking offstage.