OneRepublic leaves Mumbai mesmerised

On Saturday night, Mumbaikars were enthralled when American band OneRepublic staged their maiden act in India. The band performed from 8.30 to 9.30 at the NSCI Dome SVP Stadium in Worli, in the presence of thousands of their cheering fans.
After the show opened with a performance by a Mumbai-based band called ONEmpire, the Grammy-nominated OneRepublic played some of their smash hits like Secrets, Apologize, Counting Stars and Good Life, among others.Lead vocalist Ryan Tedder also sang songs of other artistes — like Beyoncé's Halo, the lyrics of which were written by Ryan himself.

The band of five was in great spirits and even flaunted the little bit of Hindi that they learnt, by throwing in words like ‘Shukriya’, ‘Kaise Ho’ and ‘Namaste’ every now and then. Ryan, who kept the concert mostly interactive, expressed the band’s love for India and also joked that his band mate Zachary Filkins has started scouting properties here.
The lead vocalist also paid tribute to the late Swedish DJ Avicii by singing his hit number, Wake Me Up on his piano. Needless to say, the fans were delighted. Shantanu Sablok, a marketing executive who came all the way from Pune to attend the show, said, “I had classes in the morning and the roads were jammed right before the show, so I was sure I am going to miss it. Though I reached late, it was totally worth it.”
“I got to know about this band when I became friends with someone who had OneRepublic inked on his arm and a bolt sign next to it. Their songs are cathartic and today’s live performance was a testament to Ryan Tedder’s amazing talent. He was fire on stage,” said Jiniya Kashyap, a media professional and ardent fan of the band. Jatin Arora, too, found it difficult to reach the venue, but he decided to attend it even if it was for one song. “My favourite OneRepublic songs are Let’s Hurt Tonight and Secrets. But, it was their last song Counting Stars that was an absolute stunner on stage,” he summed up.