Teddy Swims gets UGLY with St. Louis. It was exquisite.

Teddy Swims brought The UGLY Tour to Enterprise Center in St. Louis on September 23rd, touring behind a new run of music that has followed his I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy era. The night was originally scheduled to include Mac Ayres and MarcLo, however, MarcLo was unable to perform because of production issues.

Mac Ayres still opened the show, bringing a smooth, laidback R&B set before Swims took the stage.

Swims has already released two new singles in 2026 — “Mr. Know It All” in April and “Break Up in Reverse” in July. “Mr. Know It All” was the first release from what his team has described as a “new era”, following his 2025 I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition) release, a 32-track collection that wrapped together both parts of the project, along with several additional songs.

Teddy Swims‘ current tour also comes with one of the more elaborate stage setups I’ve seen recently: instead of a typical open arena stage, the set looks like the back alley of a busy city, with storefronts, signs, and different levels built across it.

There’s so much detail, with always something to look at.

Swims leaned into the theme himself, coming out dressed in a mobster-esque type suit. Between the set and the wardrobe, the whole thing had a loose, old-city feel differing greatly from his previous tours. Musically, the show is all about his voice. Swims can move between soul, pop, and R&B pretty easily, and songs like “The Door”, “Bad Dreams”, and “Lose Control” gives him plenty of chances to show off his refined, powerful vocals. Newer songs fit alongside older material, particularly “Mr. Know It All” with its more 80s rock and vintage-soul sound.

His band gave the songs a little more weight live, too, especially during the louder parts of the set, while the quieter sections left plenty of room for Swims to carry things on his own. There was a lot of production surrounding the show, but it never really took attention away from the music. The city-street set, the costumes, and the lighting — everything was deliberate. What an incredible experience!

Photography by Sean Rider

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