diff --git a/client/client.go b/client/client.go
index 05f5afc93..8a17b414b 100644
--- a/client/client.go
+++ b/client/client.go
@@ -81,10 +81,6 @@ const (
 	// allocSyncRetryIntv is the interval on which we retry updating
 	// the status of the allocation
 	allocSyncRetryIntv = 5 * time.Second
-
-	// nodeEventsEmitIntv is the interval at which node events are synced with
-	// the server
-	nodeEventsEmitIntv = 3 * time.Second
 )
 
 // ClientStatsReporter exposes all the APIs related to resource usage of a Nomad
@@ -1062,7 +1058,7 @@ func (c *Client) registerAndHeartbeat() {
 	go c.watchNodeUpdates()
 
 	// Start watching for emitting node events
-	go c.watchEmitEvents()
+	go c.watchNodeEvents()
 
 	// Setup the heartbeat timer, for the initial registration
 	// we want to do this quickly. We want to do it extra quickly
@@ -1147,7 +1143,7 @@ func (c *Client) run() {
 // these kinds of events include when a driver moves from healthy to unhealthy
 // (and vice versa)
 func (c *Client) submitNodeEvents(events []*structs.NodeEvent) error {
-	nodeID := c.Node().ID
+	nodeID := c.NodeID()
 	nodeEvents := map[string][]*structs.NodeEvent{
 		nodeID: events,
 	}
@@ -1159,44 +1155,42 @@ func (c *Client) submitNodeEvents(events []*structs.NodeEvent) error {
 	if err := c.RPC("Node.EmitEvents", &req, &resp); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Emitting node event failed: %v", err)
 	}
-	c.logger.Printf("[INFO] client: emit node events complete")
 	return nil
 }
 
-// watchEmitEvents is a handler which receives node events and on a interval and
-// submits them in batch format to the server
-func (c *Client) watchEmitEvents() {
-	batchEvents := make([]*structs.NodeEvent, 0)
+// watchNodeEvents is a handler which receives node events and on a interval
+// and submits them in batch format to the server
+func (c *Client) watchNodeEvents() {
+	// batchEvents stores events that have yet to be published
+	var batchEvents []*structs.NodeEvent
 
-	timer := time.NewTimer(c.retryIntv(nodeEventsEmitIntv))
+	// Create and drain the timer
+	timer := time.NewTimer(0)
+	timer.Stop()
+	select {
+	case <-timer.C:
+	default:
+	}
 	defer timer.Stop()
 
 	for {
 		select {
 		case event := <-c.triggerEmitNodeEvent:
-			batchEvents = append(batchEvents, event)
-
-		case <-timer.C:
+			if l := len(batchEvents); l <= structs.MaxRetainedNodeEvents {
+				batchEvents = append(batchEvents, event)
+			} else {
+				// Drop the oldest event
+				c.logger.Printf("[WARN] client: dropping node event: %v", batchEvents[0])
+				batchEvents = append(batchEvents[1:], event)
+			}
 			timer.Reset(c.retryIntv(nodeUpdateRetryIntv))
-
-			if len(batchEvents) == 0 {
-				// if we haven't received any events to emit, continue until the next
-				// time interval
-				continue
+		case <-timer.C:
+			if err := c.submitNodeEvents(batchEvents); err != nil {
+				c.logger.Printf("[ERR] client: submitting node events failed: %v", err)
+				timer.Reset(c.retryIntv(nodeUpdateRetryIntv))
 			}
-
-			err := c.submitNodeEvents(batchEvents)
-			if err != nil {
-				batchEvents = make([]*structs.NodeEvent, 0)
-				c.logger.Printf("[ERR] client: Failure in thie process of trying to submit node events: %v", err)
-			} else if len(batchEvents) >= structs.MaxRetainedNodeEvents {
-				// Truncate list to under 10
-				batchEvents = make([]*structs.NodeEvent, 0)
-			}
-
 		case <-c.shutdownCh:
 			return
-		default:
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/command/node_status.go b/command/node_status.go
index bf5fef683..60fd5c358 100644
--- a/command/node_status.go
+++ b/command/node_status.go
@@ -389,9 +389,6 @@ func (c *NodeStatusCommand) formatNode(client *api.Client, node *api.Node) int {
 }
 
 func (c *NodeStatusCommand) outputNodeStatusEvents(node *api.Node) {
-	if !c.verbose {
-		return
-	}
 
 	c.Ui.Output(c.Colorize().Color("\n[bold]Node Events "))
 	c.outputNodeEvent(node.NodeEvents)
@@ -400,14 +397,22 @@ func (c *NodeStatusCommand) outputNodeStatusEvents(node *api.Node) {
 func (c *NodeStatusCommand) outputNodeEvent(events []*api.NodeEvent) {
 	size := len(events)
 	nodeEvents := make([]string, size+1)
-	nodeEvents[0] = "Time|Subsystem|Message|Details"
+	if c.verbose {
+		nodeEvents[0] = "Time|Subsystem|Message|Details"
+	} else {
+		nodeEvents[0] = "Time|Subsystem|Message"
+	}
 
 	for i, event := range events {
 		timestamp := formatUnixNanoTime(event.Timestamp)
 		subsystem := event.Subsystem
 		msg := event.Message
-		details := formatEventDetails(event.Details)
-		nodeEvents[size-i] = fmt.Sprintf("%s|%s|%s|%s", timestamp, subsystem, msg, details)
+		if c.verbose {
+			details := formatEventDetails(event.Details)
+			nodeEvents[size-i] = fmt.Sprintf("%s|%s|%s|%s", timestamp, subsystem, msg, details)
+		} else {
+			nodeEvents[size-i] = fmt.Sprintf("%s|%s|%s", timestamp, subsystem, msg)
+		}
 	}
 	c.Ui.Output(formatList(nodeEvents))
 }
diff --git a/nomad/node_endpoint.go b/nomad/node_endpoint.go
index 916c7ee08..ca7c0cb80 100644
--- a/nomad/node_endpoint.go
+++ b/nomad/node_endpoint.go
@@ -58,6 +58,12 @@ func (n *Node) EmitEvents(args *structs.EmitNodeEventsRequest, reply *structs.Em
 	}
 	defer metrics.MeasureSince([]string{"nomad", "client", "emit_event"}, time.Now())
 
+	if args.NodeEvents == nil {
+		err := fmt.Errorf("No event to add; node event map is nil")
+		n.srv.logger.Printf("[ERR] nomad.node AddNodeEventsType failed: %v", err)
+		return err
+	}
+
 	_, index, err := n.srv.raftApply(structs.AddNodeEventsType, args)
 
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/nomad/state/state_store.go b/nomad/state/state_store.go
index 5a774c22b..58399e56b 100644
--- a/nomad/state/state_store.go
+++ b/nomad/state/state_store.go
@@ -3722,8 +3722,7 @@ func (s *StateStore) upsertNodeEvents(index uint64, nodeEvents map[string][]*str
 		}
 
 		// Copy the existing node
-		copyNode := new(structs.Node)
-		*copyNode = *node
+		copyNode := node.Copy()
 
 		nodeEvents := node.NodeEvents
 
@@ -3733,7 +3732,7 @@ func (s *StateStore) upsertNodeEvents(index uint64, nodeEvents map[string][]*str
 
 			// keep node events pruned to below 10 simultaneously
 			if len(nodeEvents) >= structs.MaxRetainedNodeEvents {
-				delta := len(nodeEvents) - 10
+				delta := len(nodeEvents) - structs.MaxRetainedNodeEvents
 				nodeEvents = nodeEvents[delta+1:]
 			}
 			nodeEvents = append(nodeEvents, e)
diff --git a/nomad/structs/structs.go b/nomad/structs/structs.go
index e9d2e7d49..78b507025 100644
--- a/nomad/structs/structs.go
+++ b/nomad/structs/structs.go
@@ -1188,6 +1188,15 @@ type NodeEvent struct {
 	ModifyIndex uint64
 }
 
+func (ne *NodeEvent) String() string {
+	var details string
+	for k, v := range ne.Details {
+		details = fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", k, v)
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("Message: %s, Subsystem: %s, Details: %s, Timestamp: %d", ne.Message, string(ne.Subsystem), details, ne.Timestamp)
+}
+
 // EmitNodeEventsRequest is a request to update the node events source
 // with a new client-side event
 type EmitNodeEventsRequest struct {
@@ -1221,16 +1230,14 @@ func (n *Node) Copy() *Node {
 	nn.Reserved = nn.Reserved.Copy()
 	nn.Links = helper.CopyMapStringString(nn.Links)
 	nn.Meta = helper.CopyMapStringString(nn.Meta)
-	nn.NodeEvents = copyNodeEvents(n)
+	nn.NodeEvents = copyNodeEvents(n.NodeEvents)
 	return nn
 }
 
-func copyNodeEvents(first *Node) []*NodeEvent {
-	nodeEvents := make([]*NodeEvent, 0)
-	for _, e := range first.NodeEvents {
-		nodeEvents = append(nodeEvents, e)
-	}
-	return nodeEvents
+func copyNodeEvents(first []*NodeEvent) []*NodeEvent {
+	second := make([]*NodeEvent, len(first))
+	copy(second, first)
+	return second
 }
 
 // TerminalStatus returns if the current status is terminal and