Golden 1 Center | Sacramento, California | Chris Couture
In support of his forthcoming album titled “Ugly”, which has a street date of January 22nd, 2027, Teddy Swims’ “Ugly Tour’ set up camp for the night at the home of the Sacramento Kings. When picking up my tickets at will-call, the friendly staff at Golden 1 Center’s box office was sure to let me know that the night’s show has been sold-out.
Aside from the sold-out crowd, the first thing I noticed was the immensity of the stage, complete with a catwalk extending fairly deep into the crowd. The main stage offered no hints of what the setup would be like as it was completely obscured by a massive curtain that read “Under Construction” and “THE UGLY TOUR”. At the center of the curtain the silhouette of a construction worker sitting in a suspended workman’s chair was visible to all.
When the curtain dropped for Teddy Swims’ appearance, the cheers from 19,000 fans was absolutely thunderous. With the curtain now gone, the stage now resembled that of a city block in downtown Atlanta. The scene was complete with brick buildings, old neon signs, fire hydrants, stop signs, exposed rebar, steel beams, graffiti adorned block walls, the city skyline with a tower crane, as the buildings were obviously under construction. Swims could also be seen making his way to the stage, gold plated microphone in hand by way of a buck hoist. While OSHA may have disapproved of his transport method, the fervent crowd loved it.
Swims is backed by Freak Freely, an insanely talented band and a group of backup singers that would be the envy of the angels in Heaven’s choir. These essential personnel were staged on different floors of the building that is the cornerstone of the set.
Speaking of sets, Swims’ set was nothing short of amazing! With powerful vocals that are easily just as soulful and equally as massive as they are on the record, Swims would effortlessly transition from whiskey drenched gravelly tones to the tenderest of falsettos.
The Teddy Swims performance could be best described as soulful. The stage was absolutely incredible, and Teddy’s passion for the music is highly commendable. The tour may be called “The UGLY Tour,” but the show and the music is incredibly beautiful.
Do not altar photos
Copyright: Chris Couture Photography
