3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Teddy Swims opened the season at the Stage at Suffolk Downs with a sense of gratitude
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While it only reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 for a single week, its longevity helped it become 2024's top-charting single in the US, and last week it broke the record for time spent on America's premier song-consumption chart when it notched week No. 92.
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The success of 'Lose Control,' which appeared on the first half of the 'Therapy' diptych, has slightly overshadowed the strength of Swims' catalog. Part two of 'Therapy,' which came out in January, places his yawp right at its center in appealing ways; on Friday he opened with its opening track, the storming hybrid of Southern and modern rock 'Not Your Man,' then followed it up with the swaggering yet heartbroken 'Hammer to the Heart.'
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Backed by a top-notch band whose musical prowess earned each member a solo, Swims tore through much of his recent catalog, letting the genre-spanning catharsis offered by songs like the shimmering '00s country throwback 'Guilty' and the tormented 'Bad Dreams' flow over and through the crowd.
Friday night's show didn't feel as much like a victory lap as it did a gratitude tour. Swims' sweet between-song banter gave the impression that he was still in awe of his recent fortunes; he promised selfies and autographs to those audience members closest to the stage, and he dedicated 'All That Really Matters,' his 2022 collab with the EDM DJ Illennium, to the assembled.
'Lose Control' closed out his main set, and as pyrotechnics went off and the crowd howled along with its battle-cry chorus, Swims took it all in before leading them in it one last time.
TEDDY SWIMS
With Diamond Café
At The Stage at Suffolk Downs, Friday
