Teddy Swims entered the Rod Laver Arena stage on Wednesday night to a tribal beat, an anthemic guitar overture followed by a curtain drop that revealed the band and then Teddy himself, standing tall atop a lit-up ramp. Swims was back in Melbourne for the third time in three years, but this was his first time bringing a major production.
In 2023, Teddy Swims played The Forum (capacity 2,000) and The Toff in Town (capacity 400). In 2024, he upscaled to two shows at MC Arena (capacity 7,500). This time it is three nights at Rod Laver Arena (capacity 14,800). That’s an estimated 40,000+ tickets sold in Melbourne alone, proof that Teddy Swims has officially hit the big time.
Right from the start of “Not Your Man,” the show had power. The Atlanta-born singer, backed by his powerhouse seven-piece band Freak Freely, set the tone for a night that was equal parts church revival, pop spectacle, and open-hearted therapy session.
“This is the best damn country in the world,” he shouted to the first of three sold-out Melbourne audiences. “Three nights at fucking Rod Laver Arena is crazy!” The crowd’s response made it clear the feeling was mutual. Teddy also gave a shout-out to Australia’s Matt Corby, who was a special guest on the show. “And please make some noise for my favourite artist in the world, man, Matt Corby. What a fucking dreamboat. He’s so hot, man.”
Swims, real name Jaten Dimsdale, first went viral on YouTube in 2019 by posting cover songs. Those origins still shine through in his live show, with Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One” taking the spotlight from the giant jukebox screen. At other shows, he’s also slipped in Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” and Hall & Oates’ “Sara Smile.”
By the way the Jukebox was filled with alternate universe Teddy Swims albums. Instead of Van Morrison ‘Astral Weeks’ it had Van Cuddleson’s ‘Astral Bears’. Not Radiohead ‘The Bends’ but Beariohead ‘The Paws’. Not Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’ by ‘Never Mind The Fluff, Here’s the Snuggle Bears’ and not Amy Winehouse ‘Back To Black’ but Amy Bearhouse ‘Back To Nap’.
At 33, Teddy can sound like a wise man, often turning reflective between songs. “Don’t waste your pain,” he told the crowd. “Pain leaving the body is healing. Write a poem, draw something, make something good out of it.”
He also shared his joy as a new father, dedicating “Small Hands” to his four-month-old son.
The audience skewed older than expected, mainly late-30s to early-40s women. For an artist with only a few years under his belt, it’s not your typical young pop crowd. Swims seems to have leapfrogged straight to the level Bieber might reach ten years from now and Miley Cyrus is only just starting to grow into.
There’s not much else like him on offer in mainstream pop. Teddy Swims is a real singer with a real band, performing original songs (albeit written by committee) for a thinking audience. Come to think of it, Bieber will probably never get here.
His band Freak Freely is tight, lively, and keeps the energy high. The big moments came with “Bad Dreams,” while the clear crowd favourite was “Lose Control,” which turned into a full-blown audience singalong. The show closed on a high with “The Door” as the final encore.
While Sydney got a surprise guest spot from The Wiggles, Melbourne’s own Tones and I joined Teddy on stage for the live debut of the new Teddy, Tones & David Guetta collaboration “Gone, Gone, Gone.” It went, as the lyric says, gone, gone, gone down perfectly with the crowd.
It’s a big show for an artist with just a couple of albums, a full two hours with no filler.
After three sold-out nights at Rod Laver, it’s fair to assume Teddy Swims’ next Australian tour will be all-arenas. If you get to one of these shows, it might be the last time you see Teddy Swims indoors for a while.
Teddy Swims Setlist, Melbourne, 22 October 2025
Main Set:
Not Your Man
Hammer to the Heart
Apple Juice
She Loves the Rain
Are You Even Real
Devil in a Dress
Bad Dreams
Free Drugs
Funeral
What More Can I Say
911
Need You More
Black & White
Small Hands
All That Really Matters
Some Things I’ll Never Know
Northern Lights
Gone, Gone, Gone (with Tones and I)
Guilty
God Went Crazy
You’re Still the One (Shania Twain cover)
Your Kind of Crazy
Lose Control
Encore:
Bed on Fire
Goodbye’s Been Good to You
The Door
Remaining Shows
23 & 24 October – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
27 October – Adelaide, Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
29 October – Perth, RAC Arena
https://www.frontiertouring.com/teddyswims
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