by Teddy Swims is just as much the kindhearted teddy bear as his name implies, so don’t be fooled by all the face tattoos. To a packed Gallagher Square at Petco Park, the Atlanta-born crooner (real name Jaten Collin Dimsdale) delivered warmth, tenderness, and powerful vocals.
Swims chose his stage name by combining an acronym for Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes with a nickname from his early years. Although the name befits his range as a musician, he wasn’t acting on this warm July 31 night in San Diego. Swims was incredibly kind, gracious, and compassionate from the very first note to the very last bow.
He opened with Hammer to the Heart’s slow-burning passion and Not Your Man’s swagger. Swims finished off his comfortable ensemble with cutoff jean shorts, matching pink socks and sunglasses, and an eight-piece band all wearing personalized Padres jerseys.
He took a moment after Apple Juice to express gratitude to the audience and absorb their admiration. He seemed genuinely moved, as though he wasn’t sure he deserved this kind of welcome.
A lot of his art has that emotional undertone. The 32-year-old singer/songwriter has made a name for herself with honest, genuine lyrics about poisonous relationships, lost love, personal challenges, self-acceptance, and recovery throughout her first two full-length albums, 2023’s I’ve Tried Everything except Therapy (Part 1) and this year’s (Part 2) follow-up Swims.
Swims, who is well-known for fusing several genres, went from the classic R&B of What More Can I Say to the gospel-influenced rock of Devil in a Dress. He also sang his soulful track God Went Crazy, which is his response to Prince’s The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, and his snappy new country tune Free Drugs, which is taken from I’ve Tried Everything except Therapy (Complete Edition), which was released in June.
Swims encouraged the crowd to repeat the line, “I will stay with it,” early in the 105-minute performance. It functioned as a motto to protect one another as well as to keep them together.
It turned out that two incidents—one of which appeared to be a scuffle—called for security intervention. Swims said what most of us were thinking after stopping to make sure everyone was safe: Who fights at a Teddy Swims show?
Conversely, Swims noticed something in the crowd during the beautiful She Loves the Rain. He asked a pair if they were engaged. He grinned and gave himself a heart pat once they confirmed, saying, “That’s awesome!” Once more, Swims seemed genuinely moved by the idea of a recently engaged couple finding unique meaning in his song.
However, singing “Small Hands,” a heartfelt ode to the infant child he welcomed in June with partner Raiche Wright, moved the new father more than anything else. Swims struggled to finish the line, “Oh, I never loved myself / Until the day I held / These small hands,” while seated on a stool and supported solely by an acoustic guitar.The audience applauded his vulnerability.
While the entire band added vigor to fast-paced songs, Swims’ vocals occasionally became muffled, as in the case of Bad Dreams. The highlight of the performance was a minimalist set that opened with Small Hands and featured piano-only renditions of Some Things I’ll Never Know, All That Really Matters, and his 2022 duet with ILLENIUM. Swim’s remarkable voice—confident yet uncertain, strong yet frail, sorrowful yet hopeful—was the main focus, with very little in the way of musical accompaniment.
Swims signed more than twenty-five items, including sneakers and ballcaps, to the pleasure of admirers in the vicinity. It seemed like a kind gesture at first (who else does this?). The novelty faded off, even though he did a fantastic job handling the microphone, Sharpie, and mementos while signing and singing, as he did during Funeral. By the third song, when Swims was performing automatically, it seemed more like a diversion that took attention away from his performance.
Get neighborhood news in your inbox. It’s free and enlightening.
Become one of the 20,000+ individuals who receive breaking news alerts and the Times of San Diego in their inbox every day at 8 a.m.
Weekly updates from San Diego communities have also been provided! You acknowledge and agree to the terms by clicking “Sign Up.” Choose from the options below.
Although Swim’s explosive ascent to fame in the last two years may seem like it happened quickly, he earned his start by playing in a number of bands in Atlanta between 2011 and 2018. He experimented with a wide range of genres during those early years, including post-hardcore, hair metal, alternative rock, soul, and R&B, as his musical versatility reflects today.
In 2019, he initially gained international (and Warner Records) attention by sharing YouTube covers of songs including Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” He released EPs and singles throughout the following several years before his breakthrough album in 2023 solidified his sound.
Swims included a unique jukebox element where two individuals could select a letter and number to determine the cover he would sing tonight. The two chose Shania Twain’s You’re Still the One (whose YouTube video has received 226 million views) as they arrived on D1.
Lose Control, the first song in history to spend 100 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, was Swims’ last song. It was followed by an emotional three-song encore that served as a last reminder that strength isn’t about toughness but about having the courage to show your soul.
Longtime music writer Donovan Roche frequently contributes to the Times of San Diego. Please email [email protected] with your story ideas.
