Malaysian fans have been counting stars for days in anticipation of OneRepublic’s return to our shores.
Lead vocalist Ryan Tedder shared that he was surprised to find out that OneRepublic’s concert venue at Stadium Merdeka last night (Wednesday, 25th April) was an open-air space. Thank goodness the weather gods were kind to us.
OneRepublic kicked off their Kuala Lumpur show with “Stop & Stare” and “Secrets”. It seemed like the 38-year-old singer’s voice was slightly under the weather at first. But the violin and cello-enhanced instruments were able to get the crowd in the mood. In between tracks, we could hear Tedder greeting the crowd with “apa khabar” and offering appreciation with “terima kasih”.
The 5-member band continued to fire hit after hit with upbeat numbers such as “Kids”, “Good Life”, “Wherever I Go”, “Better” and “Feel Again”. The hit-maker must have been feeling good, cause he told the crowd that he was inspired to write 2 songs since landing in Malaysia. If you’ve been following Tedder on Instagram, you’d notice that the singer, who stayed near KLCC, has been fascinated with our Petronas Twin Tower.
Speaking of inspiration, Tedder has also been known for writing a ton of hit songs for A-listers in the music industry. That night he treated us to 2 covers – Beyonce’s “Halo” (which he described it as his karaoke version) and Ed Sheeran’s “Happier” (this song wasn’t included in the band’s previous Singapore setlist).
It was nice to hear Tedder being candid about his relationship with Sheeran. The American record producer even jokingly called the Brit “son of a bitch” for changing “Happier” to guitar when the song was originally on piano. We couldn’t help but laugh along when Tedder proceeded to sing “Happier” in a British accent.
OneRepublic also provided the audiences with another tender moment when Tedder paid tribute to the recently-deceased Avicii by singing an acoustic cover of “Wake Me Up”. It was a beautiful moment when everyone joined in unison and harmonise to the late DJ’s single.
Following that emotional tribute, the group performed 2 songs – “I Lived” and “All The Right Moves” – before treating concert-goers with a brand new tune. OneRepublic decided to debut “Born To Race” for their Southeast Asian tour. Tedder wrote that for the video game, “Need For Speed”. The music genius also shared that he has been working with rapper Logic and teased about contributing something for “13 Reasons Why” season 2.
It’s safe to say that the entire stadium truly came alive towards the end of the show. The crowd sang the loudest during “Apologize”. OneRepublic saved the best – “If I Lose Myself”, “Counting Stars” and “Love Runs Out” – for last. It was a nostalgic trip down memory lane thanks to the setlist of hits over the past decade.
