OneRepublic brought ‘all the right moves’ to their KL concert!

OneRepublic brought ‘all the right moves’ to their concert in Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening, attended by an impressive 10,000 strong crowd.

Lead singer Ryan Tedder said that they were happy to be back – the band had last performed in Malaysia five years ago – and revealed that if they were to return the next time, it will be with brand new songs as the band will be releasing their new album after their current tour wraps up.

“We recorded two songs today in Malaysia,” Ryan added, proving that the band is serious about dropping a full album for their next comeback.

Opening the show with their 2007 earworm “Stop and Stare”, the band got the crowd singing along to their hits as they performed one song after another tirelessly. “Secrets”, “Wherever I Go”, “Counting Stars”, “Apologize” and “If I Lose Myself” were among those that fans enthusiastically sang along to.

The band even performed the first soundtrack they’ve ever done for a video game, namely “Need for Speed”. The single, aptly named “Born to Race”, was released late last year.

The band did not perform only OneRepublic songs, as Ryan played the piano (accompanied by Brent on cello) and sang some of the songs he’s written for other singers including “Halo”, the song made popular by Beyonce. 

Ed Sheeran’s “Happier” was another song Ryan performed, jokingly telling the redheaded guitar-strumming singer that the demo version, which was written on piano, sounds better than the version Ed released.

Ryan revealed that the duo wrote the song, one of the five they wrote together, in New York more than a year ago. While the other songs went to other singers, “Happier” eventually ended up in Ed Sheeran’s own roster.

“Imagine this with a British accent,” said Ryan as he played the demo version, and then decided that he should sing it with the said accent and did exactly that, much to the amusement of his fans, who couldn’t help but laugh out loud especially when he self-praised himself for successfully pulling it off. (He sort of, maybe? Still, good try, Ryan!).

As was in the band’s recent tours, Ryan did his own rendition of “Wake Me Up” to honour the late Avicii. 

The beautiful effects on stage added to the lively atmosphere.

The beautiful combination of lighting and dry ice created a fantasy-like colourful ambience that amplified the lively atmosphere, making the concert a treat not only for the ears but also for the eyes. Despite the more than 30 minutes delay in starting, the fans’ moods were not dampened and everyone was energetically singing along from the opening right down to the closing song.

Organised by WGW Entertainment, with support from Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), this will be the band’s final Southeast Asian stop for the tour as they make their way to South Korea and China next before taking the tour back to their home country, U.S.A.