As we arrived at the GrandWest Grand Arena in Cape Town, we were treated to opening act Gangs of Ballet, who entertained the audience for approx. 30 minutes before One Republic's arrival on stage. Gangs of Ballet originate from Durban and consist of three band members, Brad Klynsmith (vocals/electric guitar), Jono Rich (keyboard) and Josh Klynsmith (drums). They performed popular songs Hello Sweet Love and This Love, setting an exceptional tone for the evening. Once they had completed their performance, the stage was veiled by a white curtain as set up began for One Republic. After a short wait, the lights went dim and the crowd cheered vivaciously as the main, highly-anticipated band opened with You Can Light It Up. With the veil in place, special-effect lighting enhanced the abundant expectation of an epic performance. The curtain dropped and the crowd went crazy, as One Republic were revealed making a bold statement in all-black apparel, giving the crowd the satisfaction of witnessing true musical talent in action.
When One Republic's Native album is described as bold and boundary-pushing, I would definitely agree; their passion and desire to assist the audience in feeling and living in the moment of their songs comes to life when you listen to the band's enchantingly captivating tunes. Their passion and love for music is felt instantly when they perform. It's not often that you find a band that can make their audience feel the emotion in their music that deeply, that's what I call talent. What added to this feeling was One Republic's phenomenal choice of lighting and sound which spoke volumes about the bands standard of presentation.
One Republic was formed in 2002 by high school friends Ryan Tedder (lead singer, songwriter and producer) - who enthralled the audience with his dynamic vocals - and Zach Filikins (lead guitarist and backing vocals) - who definitely brought the heat when he played his solo piece. To give an audience filling the massive sold-out GrandWest Grand Arena the goose bumps we all felt is an amazing feat.
In 2007 One Republic released their Dreaming Out Loud album with the famous Apologize single which was later remixed by Timberland. When listening to the multi-talented Ryan Tedder playing piano and singing the infamous hit, this moment saw the audience in silent reminiscence followed by an almost overpowering choir of concert-attendees singing along.
The band has become a huge international success; they have managed to reach number one in sixteen countries resulting in them receiving a Grammy award nomination. Their second single Stop and Stare was another triumph for the band. The album was later certified Platinum by the Industry Association of America. When performing this hit the GrandWest Grand Arena lit up phenomenally and the crowd began to sing along, all the while maintaining their ability to take photos and record videos - multi-tasking at its best. The band's second album Waking Up was produced in 2009 with the following singles All The Right Moves, Secrets, Marching on and Good Life. Each and every one of these songs performed saw the golden circle fans dancing and singing along; the bass and lighting allowing each audience member to the enjoy the present moment.
Native,One Republics third album, became the band's first top ten album on the Billboard 200, including the following songs; If I Lose Myself and Counting Stars. Native debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and Counting Stars debuted at number two on the Billboard top 100, making it their highest charting single since Apologize. With the exceptional performance, One Republic created an amazing atmosphere and they couldn't help but dance with the crowd as they performed Counting Stars - one of the biggest highlights of the night as we got to party with the band.
One Republic ended their Native tour in Cape Town with a bang. Ryan Tedder could not help but admire our beautiful city, commenting that they have travelled the world and one thing he will remember about Cape Town is whenever you say "thank you" to a Capetonian you always get the response "pleasure". He assured fans that One Republic will be returning to what he considers to be the most beautiful city in the world - Well, all I can say to that is, with 'pleasure' Ryan!
