I had never heard of Teddy Swims but I was intrigued by his appearance. I went into this show with no reservations and no points of reference. The openers, a group called Fly By Midnight, set the tone for the evening. They had the crowd rocking well before Teddy hit the stage near the end of their set to perform the group’s song “Lovely”. Teddy’s appearance matched his electric energy. As my first introduction to him this insured me I was in for a great show.
Teddy flowed almost seamlessly through his first three records and immediately wooed the crowd by the time the catchy and up-tempo “Broke” was performed. His charm, charisma, and stage presence gives him this ability completely enamor the crowd. He was a full-on Rockstar on stage. His confidence and authenticity aligned with the vulnerability displayed in his records like the self-aware “My Bad” and the reflective post breakup song “Love for a Minute”.
PTSD, a new single, was the best song he performed. It was raw and accurate recount of the near-crippling response to trauma and its effects on relationships that I know far too well. Again, Teddy excels in the realm of vulnerability.
Teddy’s clear influence of Hip-Hop, R&B/Soul, Blues, Rock, and Pop allows him to reach a very diverse audience. I don’t think there’s any real way to put him in a box. He’s able to fuse genres and put out great and relatable music. He just got a new fan.
[Written for Music, Why Not?]