The lights dim as five shadows walk onto the dark stage at Shoreline Amphitheater and take their positions. A slow beat starts to play as Ryan Tedder begins to sing the first song. Pictures of the ocean pass by on a bright screen behind the stage as the crowd begins to settle down. As soon as the chorus begins, the whole stage lights up with bright lights and smoke begins to pour out from all sides. For the next thirty minutes, everyone danced while One Republic played some of their hit songs, such as “Secrets” and “Rescue Me.” The biggest surprise during the concert happened when Tedder paused his singing to announce that the band had decided to do something special tonight. What a lot of people don’t know about Ryan Tedder is that he is a songwriter as well as a singer, and he has written songs for some of the biggest artists in the world, such as Paul McCartney, Adele, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, and Lil Nas X. To give the audience a special treat, Tedder sang a few of the songs he wrote, including “Halo” by Beyonce, “Rumor Has It” by Adele, “Burn” by Ellie Goulding, “Maps” by Maroon 5, and “That’s What I Want” by Lil Nas X. In my opinion, this addition made the concert extra special and everyone had a great time singing along to these massive hits. The final thirty minutes of the concert were filled with even more One Republic hits, such as “I Lived” and of course, “Counting Stars.” Overall, the band did a phenomenal job at keeping the audience entertained, laughing and singing for the entirety of their time on stage, and it was one of the best concerts I have ever attended.
