The best value for live music in Los Angeles right now isn’t at a smaller club or a mid-sized theater, but rather at one of the most iconic venues in the world: the Hollywood Bowl. Yes, that Hollywood Bowl. The same Hollywood Bowl where deep-pocketed patrons regularly spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on fancy box seats, and hundreds (if not thousands) more on fancy meals delivered to said box seats. The very same Hollywood Bowl that serves as the summer home of the LA Philharmonic Orchestra.
But while the LA Phil may seem, at a glance, like a contributor to the Bowl’s bougier side, it is, in fact, one of the main drivers behind the 17,000-seat amphitheater’s emergence as the best bang for your live music buck in town. Case in point: Sunday’s KCRW-curated bill featuring Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Durand Jones & The Indications.
After a whirlwind of a warmup from Celisse that featured a stirring rendition of Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” Durand Jones & The Indications took center stage to showcase their retro brand of soulful R&B. The band’s main namesake did his part to set the mood with soaring vocals on popular cuts like “Circles”, “Morning in America”, and “Witchoo”. But Durand was far from the only showstopper on offer at the top of Highland Avenue; guitarist Blake Rhein had his opportunities to shred, as did keyboardist Steve Okonski and bassist Michael Montgomery, yet no member of The Indications did more to steal the spotlight than Aaron Frazer.
The drummer and founding member from Indiana University balanced out Durand’s velvety smooth voice with his own surprisingly powerful falsetto. Aaron’s vocal contributions were particularly poignant on “Is It Any Wonder”—during which Durand managed to sneak offstage for a breather—and “Cruisin’ to the Park”. Aaron dropped an album of his own, titled Introducing…, in 2021.
Where Durand Jones & The Indications demonstrated delightful depth to smooth grooves, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats brought a breadth of styles and instruments to bear behind the booming presence of its eponymous frontman. From the toe-tapping “Look It Here” and the dark-slick “Survivor” to the country twang of “Hey Mama” and the hoedown-worthy harangues of “I Need Never Get Old” and “S.O.B.”, one thing held true through all of the group’s stylistic shifts: Nathaniel’s unmistakeable rasp-and-shout voice. Combine that with The Night Sweats’ bountiful brass and considerable contributions from Joseph Pope III on bass, Mark Shusterman on keys, Luke Mossman on guitar, and Patrick Meese on drums, and you get the kind of raucous romp through rock, country, R&B, funk, and soul that not only rescued Nathaniel’s musical career from oblivion, but shot it into the stratosphere since the release of his self-titled debut album in 2015.
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – “S.O.B.” – Hollywood Bowl – 8/14/22
[Video: LiveShowEd Videos]
Those who paid to see Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats were treated to both a brilliant showing from their main attraction and eye-opening performances from Durand Jones & The Indications and Celisse. The same could be said for those whose chief draws were Durand or Celisse. Whichever permutation fits best, all resulted in a ticket that offered three phenomenal acts for the price of one, at arguably the best venue in one of the best cities for live music.
Such bills have become customary at the Hollywood Bowl in 2022. In fact, this show bookended a week that began with another KCRW double-header featuring Parcels and Polo & Pan. In between, the Bowl hosted a slew of New Orleans’ most prominent performers—including The Soul Rebels, Tank and the Bangas, Big Freedia, Dumpstaphunk, and George Porter Jr.—as part of Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown Tour.
Whether these expanded lineups are the result of venue calendars filling up in the post-lockdown portion of the COVID era, single bands needing support to sell seats at larger spots like the Bowl, or some combination therein, the end result is a run of shows that all qualify as unbeatable values for music lovers in the City of Angels.
Setlist: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats | Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA | 8/14/22
Set: You Worry Me, Look It, I’m On Your Side, Survivor, Baby I’ve Lost My Way, So Put Out, Li’l Honey, Love Me Until I’m Gone, Face Down, and It’s Still Alright, Hey Mama, I’ll Be Damned, Coolin’ Out, Intro, Need Never Get Old
Encore: S.O.B., Love Don’t
Setlist: Durand Jones & The Indications | Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA | 8/14/22
Set: Circles, The Way That I Do, LWWIO, Don’t You Know, Sea Gets Hotter, More Than Ever, How Can I Be Sure, Morning In America, True Love, Is, It Any Wonder, MEDLEY: There Must Be, Should I Take You Home, Didn’t I, Thin Line, Ooo Baby Baby (Smokey Robinson), Smile, Cruisin to the Park, Sea Of Love, Witchoo
Setlist: Celisse | Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, CA | 8/14/22
Set: Get There, Lost, Use Me, Help