CONCERT REVIEW : OneRepublic offers fresh taste of success
Posted on Sunday, May 25, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE — With just an album’s worth of material, OneRepublic put on a solid show Friday night at the outdoor Arkansas Music Pavilion.
Ryan Tedder is lead vocalist and pianist for this five-member alternative-rock band. The group played all but one of the 12 tunes from its debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, which was released six months ago and surpassed the 1-million-sold mark a few weeks ago.
The band was performing its first show in Arkansas, the night before heading to Little Rock to play at Riverfest. Tedder, who grew up in Tulsa, has ties to Northwest Arkansas. His father attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
A torn Achilles tendon didn’t seem to hamper his performance. He used crutches to make his way to a stool at the upright piano, where he stayed for most of the show.
The audience was heavily populated by teenage girls who wielded digital cameras and cell phones as they angled for shots of the band. Many had just watched OneRepublic perform “Apologize” on the American Idol season finale Wednesday night with David Archuleta, the show’s losing finalist. That song came late in the Fayetteville show.
Tedder’s voice easily went from powerful to tender, with a great vocal range. Though this isn’t always the case, he sounded even better in person than on the album.
Tedder switched to acoustic guitar on “Stop and Stare,” which had a hypnotic, anthem feel. After building the vocals to a climactic level, he quieted enough so that the crowd could be heard singing along.
After that, the band seemed to gain more energy, playing “All Fall Down.” It’s a great song, featuring cello and acoustic guitar. And Tedder impressively improvised his vocals, moving all over the place, often visibly shifting his jaw as he went from note to note.
The band went straight into “Tyrant,” a driving song that started with a heavy piano line and was strong on drums. The band rose to a full sound, then changed to a slower beat. Tedder’s voice was particularly good on this.
The band took a break from its own material to cover Buffalo Springfield’s “Something’s Happening Here.” Tedder’s soulful vocals were perfect on their version.
Though Tedder said they don’t write many love songs, he sang one — “Won’t Stop” — again employing soulful vocals that reached up high at the end. As he stood up and leaned on top of the piano for this one, several girls tried to snap a photo.
Next was “Apologize,” which inspired the audience to scream and get back on its feet after resting for a few songs. It was strong on cello and piano and more of Tedder’s vocals, which were often heartfelt and edgy.
After an hour-long performance, the band returned for a two-song encore. Though Tedder said the band doesn’t get political, “Come Home” was a pretty song he wrote about a buddy who became engaged before being called to serve in Iraq.
The band ended with “All We Are,” which starts out soft and builds up to a loud, strong anthem. With just 75 minutes of play, the band left its audience pleased.
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