Teddy Swims turned Accor Stadium into a soul revival on Sunday night, throwing down a powerhouse pre-show set before the 2025 NRL Grand Final — and paying his respects to Aussie rock royalty, AC/DC, in the process.
Backed by a full band and a sea of 80,000 footy fans, the Georgia-born hitmaker opened with “Bad Dreams” before sliding into “The Door”. Any concern about his recent vocal scare vanished the second he started to sing, his voice was back in full force. You’d never guess this was the same guy who had to cancel shows in Hawaii just a week earlier.
Then came the moment that set the stadium alight: Swims tore into AC/DC’s “T.N.T.”, turning the field into a sing-along celebration of one of Australia’s most iconic rock bands. He’d hinted at the tribute on Today two days earlier, calling AC/DC “one of my favourite groups ever” and promising to do the song justice.
Swims closed his set with the crowd-pleaser “Lose Control”, the song that made him a global name.
The performance capped off a rollercoaster week for the 33-year-old. After losing his voice mid-show in Honolulu, he took to Instagram to apologise to fans and announce doctor-ordered rest. “My doctor has not cleared me to sing, and I need a little more time to recover before I can give you the show you deserve,” he wrote.
The NRL dismissed reports that Swims would be pulling out of his contracted performance. Swims told Today he was determined to make it, even if it meant sleeping for three days straight. “I’m back to normal now, there is no way I wasn’t coming,” he said, adding that he’d flown to Australia with his partner Raiche Wright and their three-month-old son.
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Abdo said Swims was the perfect choice for the NRL Grand Final because his music “appeals to so many different people.” Indeed, Swims’ blend of soul, country, and pop made him an unlikely but universally loved pick for one of Australia’s biggest sporting stages.
Fans online have hailed the set as one of the best Grand Final pre-shows in years, with many calling it “better than Snoop,” after the AFL’s own star-studded spectacle the previous weekend.
Swims — real name Jaten Dimsdale — is a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist whose debut album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1) cemented his rise from viral YouTube covers to global chart-topper.
He’ll now stay Down Under for a run of headline dates across Australia and New Zealand, kicking off at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on October 14th, as well as an appearance at SXSW Sydney 2025 as their keynote speaker.
As for the game itself? The Brisbane Broncos defeated the Melbourne Storm 26-22 in a nail-biting finish.
