On Friday night, fans braved freezing temperatures and vicious wind chills to see Conyers soul singer Teddy Swims. The Grammy-nominated artist performed his 11th annual Kegsmas (inspired by his love for beer) concert at the Tabernacle. All proceeds from the sold-out show were donated to Atlanta Community Food Bank.
For nearly 90 minutes, Swims delivered a concert that felt like an appropriate closer to the year that made him a star— in the city where it all started. His ubiquitous fan-favorite “Lose Control” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in March. Later this year, he performed memorable sets at the CMAs and Billboard Music Awards, where he won awards for top radio song and top Hot 100 song. The 32-year-old is also nominated for best new artist at next year’s Grammy Awards.
“It’s so good to be home,” Swims said at the top of the show. “Thank you so much for making me feel at home. Thanks to y’all, it’s been a hell of a long year...this has been a crazy ride of my life.”
He also told the crowd that they shouldn’t expect an incredible show because “I’m hammered up here.” Fortunately, that expectation didn’t come to fruition. Glistened with stunning vocals and riveting emotions, his Kegsmas concert was a primer on why Swims is a breakout artist of the year.
At 9 p.m., Teddy Swims, wearing a red jumpsuit and Santa Claus hat, hit the stage with his five-piece band and fellow Georgia natives Freak Freely. He opened the show with songs like “Goodbye’s Been Good to You” and “What More Can I Say,” tracks from his 2023 debut album “I’ve Tried Everything by Therapy (Part 1).” To spread the holiday cheer, he also sang a cover of Donny Hathaway’s classic “This Christmas.”
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
The show reached a high moment during his set for the ballad “Hammer to the Heart.” This is Swims at his best―singing about the depths of heartbreak in such an evocative way that his voice becomes its own character. You can hear the pain in each raspy note. He pivoted to an EDM vibe with “All That Really Matters” (a song with dance producer Illenium). But when performed live, the song’s EDM elements were replaced with pure balladry—sounding like something you’d hear during a praise and worship service at church. Swims’ vocals are so grandiose that he feels each word he sings and makes you believe them, too.
Another peak of the show arrived during his performance of “Some Things I’ll Never Know,” which he prefaced with a lesson about closure.
“When relationships end,—this can be friends, this can be significant others—people won’t usually tell you why they walk out of your life. They don’t come up and tell you this is what you did. They damn sure don’t tell you that there’s somebody else....It took me a long time to understand that closure doesn’t come from the person that hurts you. Somebody that hurts you doesn’t do it to hurt you. They do it to help themselves.”
Throughout his rendition of the track (which also features a remix with Maren Morris), Swims became immersed in the despair of losing someone and not knowing why.
Swims closed the show with other fan-favorites like “Bed to the Fire,” “The Door,” and (of course) “Lose Control.” The crowd matched his electrifying energy by repeating the lyrics back to him.
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
At Kegsmas, the hometown love for Teddy Swims was abundant. Fans danced in the aisles, sang along to the lyrics and swayed in their seats as if they were in a trance. Swims’ music is just that powerful.
And in case you missed the show, don’t worry. The Teddy Swims momentum won’t stop there. His sophomore album “I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2)″ drops on Jan 24. He’ll hit the road shortly after, stopping in Atlanta for two shows at Cadence Bank Amphitheatre in August.
He didn’t end the night without promoting the new album, which he said arrives on the same day at The Weeknd’s sixth studio album “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”
“If y’all can do me a favor and pre-order that thing, so we can beat his a**.”
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
Credit: Robb Cohen for the Atlanta Journ
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