One of the newest popular bands on the scene, OneRepublic has taken it by storm. Their first single, “Apologize” (which I’m about 90% sure you’ve heard) is catchy, dramatic and rhythmic. The second single they’ve released has about the same attributes, but is a tad more upbeat than the aforementioned “Apologize”.

The band, lead by singer, writer and instrumentalist Ryan Tedder has all the traits to become the next big band - given they drop some of their worse problems. Sadly the most tragic of these is their close to pathetic live performances.

Timothy Finn, a writer for The Star and it’s music blog, Back to Rockville writes:

OneRepublic? Not as much. They guys played for about 85-90 minutes, and the crowd was with them for the first 30 minutes or so, even through songs that weren’t so familiar. Their sound is pleasant: suburban adult-alt pop-and-soul. But even with an electric cellist in its midst (Brent Kutzle), OneRepublic didn’t generate one of those arresting or defining moments. Once the initial charm wore off, the crowd slowly lost interest, at least where I was standing — up in the balcony, then on the floor by the soundboard. Way up front, the band was still getting some screams and cheers, but farther back, people were chatting among themselves, some loudly, waiting for the big moments,

The newly sprouted band, shot into stardom by the reputable Timbaland, has a serious problem on their hands when it comes to their lackluster performances. The problem lies in the equation that makes a hit single turn into more hit singles: Any band that releases a brilliant single and then has newly devoted fans come to their concerts only to be disappointed usually loses those fans. In many peoples opinions, a band that does not play well live shouldn’t be as popular as they have become, probably because that means they are a fake - as many prominent bands nowadays are.

However, the problems don’t end there: They’re nothing fresh. If we compare OneRepublic to bands such as The Fray, and even such veterans like Coldplay and U2, we see they are very similar. Tedder, the leader of the band should be displaying more talent, it’s no secret he has it to show. Charisma would be best for him to display, because if they want to keep the fans they have, a good live performance will be necessary.

So, what is the big deal with OneRepublic, after all? For one, their music is rhythmic, melodic and dramatic, but what they earn in the recording department they lack in the performance charisma and freshness.
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Crossposted to Newsvine

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