OneRepublic - Live In South Africa (2018)

It’s hard to imagine a time without the incredible music of OneRepublic. The band, made up of Ryan Tedder, Zach Filkins, Drew Brown, Brent Kutzle, and Eddie Fisher, have been a staple part of our lives since they burst onto the scene in 2007 with ‘Apologize’.

Since then, the five-piece have gone on to achieve global success, with one of their highlights being their mammoth Native World Tour, which travelled across five continents between 2013 and 2015. One of the landmark performances from the tour was their show at The Ticketpro Dome (then known as The Coca-Cola Dome) in Johannesburg, South Africa in front of 20,000 fans.

Whether you were at the show itself, have seen OneRepublic live before or have yet to witness the magic in person, fans can now relive the Johannesburg performance in the comfort of their own home.

On Friday (February 23) Eagle Rock Entertainment released OneRepublic: Live In South Africa on Blu-Ray/DVD and digital download. The DVD perfectly captures the electrifying essence of the show, from the second the band appear behind an opaque curtain. As soon as the curtain drops, you cannot help but go wild just like the 20,000-strong crowd.

Whilst the staging is fairly simple, with the exception of lighting and pyrotechnics, the music does all the talking. From album tracks to fan favourites such as ‘Stop and Stare’ and ‘I Lived’, the energy is infectious throughout with the audience hanging on to lead vocalist Ryan’s every word.

Speaking of Ryan, he proves to be the ultimate showman, working every inch of the stage. He strips things back on the piano for ‘Apologize’, and ramps up the energy for ‘Counting Stars’, all whilst showcasing his superb vocals. Zach, Drew, Brent, and Eddie also bring an irresistible energy to the stage, making the five-piece band absolutely captivating to watch.

However, the best is saved until last, with OneRepublic closing the show with the euphoric ‘If I Lose Myself’. The anthemic offering is even more spine-tingling live – in fact, words cannot do it justice, so give it a watch below and prepare to have your mind blown.

Throughout the concert, we are shown footage of the fans losing themselves in the music, and from the accompanying documentary on the DVD titled Don’t Look Down, OneRepublic acknowledge that the fans’ support has been pivotal to their success along the years.

The documentary is an eye-opening insight into the band’s humble beginnings and how they faced and overcame many struggles and failures to get to where they are now. Over the course of 30+ minutes, we hear of the band’s journey, which first started out with Ryan and Zack. Back in the day when MySpace was the top form of social media, OneRepublic did everything they could to make a name for the band and soon found themselves signed to Columbia Records.

However, at the same time as they performed at Coachella, the band discovered that they were being dropped from Columbia’s roster. Back to square one, it was the success of the single ‘Apologize’ on MySpace, garnering over 100,000 plays a day, which pushed them to stardom. The track gained the attention of Timbaland, who Ryan had once been mentored by, and was released as a remix on his Shock Value album.

Whilst the track catapulted OneRepublic to fame, it came with additional challenges for them as no-one really knew the real identity of the band. During the next part of their journey, the band once again battled to establish a name for themselves, this time wanting to prove that they were more than just the band who appeared on a remix. With passion and determination, OneRepublic showed that anything is possible if you dream big and work even harder.

One Republic: Live In South Africa is a must own item for all fans of the band. The concert itself is absolutely thrilling whilst the documentary is an inspiring watch, whatever your circumstances are. The DVD also features a performance of ‘Wherever I Go’, taken from OneRepublic’s fourth album Oh My My, live from the Sydney Harbour. ~ words by Katrina Rees

Track List:
01. Dont Look Down 02:13
02. Light It Up 03:40
03. Secrets 03:52
04. All The Right Moves 04:47
05. What You Wanted 04:38
06. Stop And Stare 05:34
07. Something I Need 05:02
08. Apologize 05:35
09. Preacher 03:48
10. Good Life 04:50
11. Interlude 03:24
12. Counting Stars 04:45
13. Cant Stop 05:03
14. Au Revoir 04:46
15. Feel Again 03:43
16. I Lived 05:38
17. Love Runs Out 04:40
18. Wonderful World 03:39
19. If I Lose Myself 06:12
20. Dont Look Down (Mini Documentary) 33:11
21. Wherever I Go (Live In Sydney) 02:54

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