There are few artists who manage to capture the vibe of a city just right while embarking on a multi-city world tour, packed in a few short months.
Although, the same can’t be said about American pop-rock band OneRepublic, who hit all the right notes as they closed the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival to a thunderous applause.
The Colorado boys simply love spending time in Dubai — by their own admission — and make it a point to each time they come down, to uncover yet another hidden gem tucked away in the bylanes of this city.
When OneRepublic chatted with us ahead of their concert, all we heard about was their love for wholesome Pakistani food at Ravi restaurant in Satwa. Back in November, they were gearing up for a performance at the Dubai Airshow Gala.
This time around, things have been a little low key for lead vocalist Ryan Tedder, who was under the weather ahead of his live gig at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre and posted on Instagram that he had to be hooked up to an IV twice in 24 hours — one of which was as he landed in the city.
Yet, Tedder and his band’s enthusiasm didn’t wane for a second as they took fans through their biggest hits, including ‘Apologize’, which put them on the map, along with ‘Secrets’, ‘If I Lose Myself’ and ‘Counting Stars’ of course.
While it was all fun and games as the concert kicked off, the true emotional high of the night was experienced when Tedder decided to pay tribute to the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died last month in a helicopter crash that also took the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Tedder played the first chords of ‘Halo’, a song that he co-wrote for superstar Beyonce.
As the night eventually drew to a close and the music faded into the night, fans of the American band were truly counting stars while reliving one of the finest concerts the city has seen in recent times.
