Teddy Swims, Matt Corby @ Entertainment Centre, Adelaide 27/10/2025
The Adelaide Entertainment Centre precinct was absolutely buzzing Monday night with two huge shows on with Teddy Swims in the Arena and Rob Thomas in the Theatre. Definitely a tough choice between the two but how can you go past global phenomenon Teddy Swims who is arguably one of the biggest artists on the planet right now. Terrific show with Teddy melting twelve thousand hearts and capturing minds with his soulful voice and emotional story telling. It was hard to not be in awe of his performance and the connection he made with his fans taking them on an emotional journey riding the highs and lows of the life and times of Teddy Swims.
It would be remiss not to talk glowingly about support act Matt Corby who is a completely different artist now compared to when he first came to attention on Australian idol many moons ago. He is the complete package, has great songs, performs well live and charmed plenty of new fans in the process. His set was a lot shorter than we would normally expect but he made every minute count. Resolution, Brother and Better Than That were incredible moments from the highlights reel.
Teddy Swims! Wow! The show was quite a step up from his last show here at Hindley Street Music Hall with a massive production complete with pyros and a big light show. There is something so relatable about Teddy and it is easy to see why so many fans are drawn to his music. It doesn’t sound like anything has come easy, life challenges, ups and downs and in betweens earning every bit of the adulation and applause when he plays. It was definitely a moment of triumph to see how far he has become and there’s still plenty more in front of him.
The set list was loaded and even Teddy himself conceded that he had plenty of ground to cover with twenty five songs to play. Opening with Not Your Man, Hammer To The Hearts and Apple Juice there was definitely something in the air and the feeling that this was going to be something quite special and one to remember. It didn’t take long for Teddy to have the crowd right in his hands saying “love ya! This is the best goddamn country on the planet” adding we have “sexy dream boat Matt Corby!” She Loves The Rain and Are You Even Real were sublime and you could feel his genuine heartfelt authenticity. You can’t manufacture these feels that really do pull the heart strings.
Bad Dreams and new song Free Drugs were gold and Teddy couldn’t hide how much fun he was having dedicating Need You More to his partner who carried his baby boy sharing a few more moments from his “Dad journey” and how much he misses them after a week apart. There were moment of gratitude also speaking about how music saved his life and super appreciative of his supportive fan base playing the aptly titled All That Really Matters (ILLENIUM). Playing “one more sad song before the fun stuff” it was Some Things I’ll Never Know dealing with acceptance and closure and ultimately moving on.
Northern Lights was stunning as was Guilty kicking it up a notch on God Went Crazy. Drawing a number and a letter out of a bowl, in a game show style moment, was for the combination to determine which cover would be played going with Gloria Estefan’s You’re Still The One resulting in one big sing-a-long. You’re Kind Of Crazy and the uber massive Lose Control reached that emotional peak and the power of these songs could not be under estimated.
With a brief moment to regroup Teddy and band returned for an encore starting with his favourite song Bed On Fire completing this emotional journey on Goodbyes Been Good To You and The Door. There is no doubt that this affinity between Adelaide, Australia and Teddy Swims won’t be broken and we start counting down until the next time he comes to town.
Live Review By Rob Lyon