Friday, September 19, 2025
Time: 10:50 PM
Song: S.O.B.
Artist: Nathaniel Ratliff & the Night Sweats
Mode of Consumption: First song of encore of concert at Vibrant Arena in Moline.
Link to song: https://open.spotify.com/track/1VPUpUwtbpoRVXt0txVU0w?si=fa0a1d40ff364654
Later, Jodi would state that the notion of encores has run its course.
“They just do them now because it’s part of the act,” she said. “They are going to leave the stage for a minute and then come back out.”
She’s not wrong. When Nathaniel Ratliff & the Night Sweats wrapped up a song at just past 10:45 PM, I figured they’d tell us good night and leave the stage. Vibrant Arena seems like the kind of place that tells the band to have it wrapped up by 11 PM.
So, they did.
People around us starting chanting “S.O.B.” or simply saying what those letters spell out. The lights went down. We waited.
Then they returned and played their most known song, which was affirmed by the volume of the crowd during the song. They played one more song after that, said goodnight, and the houselights came on basically saying, “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
I suppose the notion of an encore is a bit perfunctory now. We both noted that Jason Isbell didn’t do one at the concert we were at earlier this summer. He simply played to the allotted time, wished us well, and the houselights came on.
A two-song encore is a bit of a wink, I suppose. Yes, we’re going through with the charade that we are done without playing our most notable song, but we’re going come back and play it, and then we are getting out of here.
I don’t know of any young acts that challenge this system, not like Springsteen who might tack on an extra hour of encores.
It’s probably good we weren’t seeing Springsteen, anyway. Even though the show was excellent and high energy, both of us were fading after long work days.
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