I've seen many bands in the Royal Arena, but rarely one that could at the same time seem so well-oiled and so improvised. OneRepublic has billions of streams on its conscience, but still acts like a bunch of old classmates who just needed to get together and play a bit. It is both their strength and their weakness.
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Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
The last time OneRepublic visited Denmark was on March 13, 2014 — apart from a single detour to Nibe Festival in 2023 — so it was high time Ryan Tedder and co. returned. The group has grown bigger every time: from Pumpehuset in 2010, to Falconer Salen in 2014 and now the Royal Arena in 2024.
They have had a career that can hardly be described as linear. The breakthrough came via Timbaland's remix of “Apologize,” followed by megahits like “Good Life” and “Counting Stars” -- songs that were never intended as singles but ended up as global ear-hangers. And though OneRepublic has hit the billion-dollar limit on streaming, parts of the Royal Arena's upper section were shut off. It says everything about the band's slightly odd status: Everyone knows Ryan Tedder, but how many can really name the other members?
The evening started in high gear. From the very first song, the audience was filled with confetti, and the first three tracks flowed almost together in one long medley. It was effective, but also a little hasty -- especially when you know how much theatrical flair the band has had in the past (at the concert in Falconer Salen, they started behind a blanket in a light inferno).
The concert first seriously found its rhythm with “Secrets”, where everything suddenly fell into place. Before then, it had felt like a quick tour of the hit machine with no real presence.
Then the band disappeared into the middle of the hall to an acoustic section — a grip many arena bands eventually use, but from which OneRepublic got off surprisingly well. Tedder told little stories from his songwriting career, about how Lukas Graham really should have been there but had fallen ill, and about the work behind tracks like “Bleeding Love” and “Halo.”
Here the group showed how musical they really are. Several members alternated between instruments, and acoustic versions of “Life in Color” and “Something I Need” became the quiet highlight of the evening. The audience listened. Tedder spoke. And for a moment, the Royal Arena felt like a small venue again.
When the band returned to the main stage, they turned up the tempo with “Lose Somebody”, “Apologize” and the underappreciated “Can't Stop”, which emerged as one of the concert's best moments — simple, sincere and vocally razor-sharp.
But every time they hit those kinds of moments, they quickly moved on. OneRepublic has so many hits that they sometimes seem afraid to dwell on them.
Midway through, we got a new single, “I Need Your Love”. Not the kind of premiere that sends the hall ablaze, but still a solid testament to the band's craft. And then came the hit parade. The last eight songs alone hold over ten billion streams -- and it was felt. The crowd sang, danced, filmed.
After “Counting Stars” (with a nice Spanish guitar intro from Zach Filkins), Tedder laughingly said: “We got more hits — I'll show ya.” He explained that he hated the idea of extra numbers: “We're not gonna play peek-a-boo.”
And then they just drove on. Honestly: respect that.
Tedder sounded hoary at times, telling him that the day before he had lost his voice. Still, he delivered several vocal performances that would cause many younger pop stars to hide behind playback. It's rare to see a man of that caliber actually sing all the way through.
But the concert still left a slightly messy impression. Some ideas seemed unfinished, some covers redundant. It all had the character of creative excess behavior—lots of energy, not always a lot of structure. As the band nodded off, Ryan Tedder stayed standing and sang along to “Wonderwall,” which streamed out through the speakers. Whether it was planned or just a spontaneous “Tedder moment” is not known. But it felt honest.
Reflection:
OneRepublic delivered everything one could wish for — and a little too much on top of that.
It was musical, immersive and charmingly messy. An evening full of ideas, atmosphere and hit upon hit, but also a reminder that Ryan Tedder may sometimes be so much at the forefront that the band itself disappears.
But when the confetti ebbs and you walk out of the arena with “Counting Stars” on your brain and a smile on your face, then it's done what it was supposed to.
Setlist:
Feel Again · Kids · Good Life (Midnight City Version) · RUNAWAY · Singapore · Secrets · Rescue Me · Run · Stop and Stare ·
Acoustic section: Life In Color · Something I Need · Bleeding Love (cover) · Hello (cover) ·
Lose Somebody · Apologize · Can't Stop · I Need Your Love · I Ain't Worried · Sunshine · Seven Nation Army/Love Runs Out · I Lived · Counting Stars (m. spanish guitar intro from Zach) · I Don't Wanna Wait · Calling (Lose My Mind) (chorus only) · If I Lose Myself · Wonderwall (cover)
