OneRepublic returned to Nova’s Red Room yesterday February 9 with an electric, invite‑only performance at Liberty Hall in Sydney.
New Nova 969 Breakfast hosts Ricki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell hosted the event, with Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfi and Kate Ritchie there too to enjoy the eve and lend support. Then the GRAMMY-nominated US band hit the stage led by front man Ryan Tedder, with guitarists Zach Filkins and Drew Brown, keys player Brian Willett, bassist and cellist Brent Kutzle and drummer Eddie Fisher.
The band launched straight into Good Life, before Ryan Tedder spoke to the crowd, thanking Australia for supporting the band since the beginning and confirming he got into music because he wanted to see the world and saying that at the age of seven he’d decided Australia was the first country he wanted to visit. The band sang Stop and Stare, followed by Secrets and Something I Need, then Ryan surprised the crowd with a stunning rendition of Halo a track he wrote and became a global smash for Beyoncé. He admitted he doesn’t sing as well as her but “sings it way better than any other dude.”
OneRepublic closed the night with one of their biggest hits, Counting Stars, with the crowd in full voice singing along.
NOVA’s Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald, Sarah Harris, Kate Ritchie, Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, Ricki-Lee Coulter and Tim Blackwell
Media, music and industry guests included Channel 9’s Today Extra host Belinda Russell, presenter Mitch Churi, Ruby Valentine and Rowan Thiedeman from Live Nation and Dan Gill and Bridie McGuire from BMG. NOVA Entertainment CEO Peter Charlton, Chief Commercial Officer Nicole Bence, Programming Executives Brendan Taylor and Sarah McGilvray, Chief Growth Officer Adam Johnson and Nova’s Head of Music Scott Baker-Smith were all in attendance too.
NOVA Entertainment’s Peter Charlton, Nicole Bence and Adam Johnson
Images supplied.