I’ve seen plenty of bands at Royal Arena, but rarely one that could feel so polished and so improvised at the same time. OneRepublic have billions of streams to their name, yet they still behave like a bunch of old classmates who’ve just met up to play a few songs. That 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 13 March 2014 — apart from a single detour to Nibe Festival in 2023 — so it was high time Ryan Tedder and co. came back. With every visit, the band has grown bigger: from Pumpehuset in 2010, to Falconer Salen in 2014, and now Royal Arena in 2024.
Their career has hardly been linear. The breakthrough came through Timbaland’s remix of “Apologize”, followed by megahits like “Good Life” and “Counting Stars” — songs never meant to be singles, but which ended up as global earworms. And even though OneRepublic have crossed the billion-stream mark, parts of Royal Arena’s upper tier were closed off. It says everything about the band’s slightly odd status: everyone knows Ryan Tedder, but how many can actually name the other members?
The evening started at full throttle. From the very first song, the audience was showered in confetti, and the first three numbers almost melted into one long medley. It was efficient, but also a little rushed — especially when you know how much theatrical flair the band has shown before (at the concert in Falconer Salen, they began behind a curtain in a blaze of light).
The concert only really found its rhythm with “Secrets”, when everything suddenly clicked into place. Before that, it had felt like a quick tour through the hit machine without much real presence.
Then the band disappeared into the middle of the arena for an acoustic section — a move many arena bands use by now, but one OneRepublic pulled off surprisingly well. Tedder shared small stories from his songwriting career, about how Lukas Graham was actually supposed to be there but had fallen ill, and about the work behind songs like “Bleeding Love” and “Halo”.
Here, the group showed just how musical they really are. Several members switched between instruments, and acoustic versions of “Life in Color” and “Something I Need” became the evening’s quiet highlight. The audience listened. Tedder talked. And for a moment, Royal Arena felt like a small venue again.
When the band returned to the main stage, they turned up the pace with “Lose Somebody”, “Apologize” and the gorgeous “Can’t Stop”, which stood out as one of the concert’s best moments — simple, sincere and vocally razor-sharp.
But every time they hit that kind of moment, they moved on quickly. OneRepublic have so many hits that they sometimes seem afraid to linger on them.
Halfway through, we got a new single, “I Need Your Love”. Not the kind of premiere that sets the room on fire, but still solid proof of the band’s craft. And then came the parade of hits. The final eight songs alone account for more than ten billion streams — and you could feel it. The audience sang, danced, filmed.
After “Counting Stars” (with a beautiful Spanish guitar intro from Zach Filkins), Tedder said with a laugh: “We got more hits – I’ll show ya.” He explained that he hated the idea of encores: “We’re not gonna play peek-a-boo.”
And then they just kept going. Honestly: respect.
Tedder sounded hoarse at times and said he had lost his voice the day before. Even so, he delivered several vocal performances that would make many younger pop stars hide behind playback. It’s rare to see a man of that calibre actually sing all the way through.
Still, the concert left a slightly messy impression. Some ideas felt unfinished, some covers unnecessary. The whole thing had the feel of creative excess — plenty of energy, not always quite as much structure. When the band said goodbye, Ryan Tedder stayed behind and sang along to “Wonderwall”, which poured out through the speakers. Whether it was planned or just a spontaneous “Tedder moment” is unknown. But it felt honest.
Reflection:
OneRepublic delivered everything you could want — and a little too much on top.
It was musical, gripping and charmingly messy. An evening full of ideas, atmosphere and hit after hit, but also a reminder that Ryan Tedder sometimes stands so far out front that the band itself disappears.
But when the confetti settles and you leave the arena with “Counting Stars” in your head and a smile on your face, then it has done what it was supposed to do.
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) · Halo (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 (with Spanish guitar intro by Zach) · I Don’t Wanna Wait · Calling (Lose My Mind) (chorus only) · If I Lose Myself · Wonderwall (cover)
