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Health & Fitness

OneRepublic Declares Ravinia As Favorite Live Venue & Pledges Love For Chicago!

OneRepublic Lead Singer Ryan Tedder has never met an audience he didn't like...and Tuesday night during a feel-good concert at Highland Park's Ravinia, it was an old-fashioned love fest.

Tedder couldn't hold back his love for Ravinia or Chicago, which he clearly treasures as the band's favorite stop on their tour. Tedder even went as far as to promise the crowd picnicking on the lawn seats that they would get their due as well.

Led by Tedder, with perhaps the coolest backdrop to a stage setting the audience had ever seen, OneRepublic proved why they are one of the top 3 contemporary pop groups on the planet. Tedder and Co. treated their rabid fans to their popular #1 hit songs, while taking their loyal followers on a thrill ride replete with high-tech graphics, exploding light shows, gorgeous HD videos, and well executed surprises at every turn.

Even with all the flash and pyro-technics, the effects did not mask their catchy music or cover up for a lack of musicianship. From the opening chord, it's abundantly obvious that Ryan Tedder IS OneRepublic and that his bandmates are secondary - but that's not necessarily a bad thing. OneRepublic is the epitome of a stellar contemporary 2013 rock/pop/band with some savory musical chops! Each member contributed their share, while Tedder shared stories and grabbed hold of the audience when describing his inspirations for the ballads he wrote.

The show got off to a covert beginning, when, with the anticipation building to a crescendo, the lights dimmed and the only thing the audience could observe was a giant white sheet in front of the stage.

Suddenly, Tedder and his bandmates made their way to the stage and the Ravinia audience could see live images of the band as they began rocking the stage. Toward the end of the opening of their huge hit "If I Lose Myself", the light flashed and the giant sheet was unveiled to reveal Ryan Tedder strutting in front of his crew.

"Apologize" followed suit and the band was off to the races with Tedder intimating that: "Of course we'll be playing all of your favorites, but we'll also include some new songs that even we don't completely know yet!" Tedder is a master frontman and a consummate frontman - even at the somewhat tender age of 25 years (the band has been together for five years). 

One of the true highlights of the show came during the un-plugged portion of the set, where Tedder was at his best, storytelling and performing ballads on his guitar and especially the piano. It's easy to see why the major labels competed to sign  OneRepublic. Even though it's easy to label pop groups as formulaic, OneRepublic's Tedder alone is worth the price of admission and proved to be a formidable force for years to come. 

Of course, the girls in the audience (including my 14 year old daughter) were wild about his handsome, boyish charm, but beneath the baby-faced veneer is a passionate singer/songwriter whose music will absolutely stand the test of time. Tedder's lyrics are first-class without cliche'. Plus, audiences can smell a phony a mile away, and Tedder and his mates are the genuine article. At every turn, the women in the audience called out: "I Love You!" to which Ryan responded in kind.

Making good on his promise, Tedder jumped off the stage and ran all the way to the top of the back of Ravinia's Pavilion to serenade the folks relaxing on the lawn and much to everyone (especially the girls) delight, ran around the entire circumference of the Pavilion area.

Flying through "Secrets," "Counting Stars," and more, the band kept the audience on their toes with heavy-duty participation at every interval, singing, clapping in time, and more. Whoever manages OneRepublic has a great feel for summer concerts-the band tossed about 20 giant translucent balls into the crowd so admirers could volley them while swaying to the music.

During the grand finale a final pop of confetti went off, covering OneRepublic's adoring fans as cell phones and cameras went off to a stunning array of colors, including various shades of red and cobalt blue.

OneRepublic had their audience in the palm of their hand, transfixed and satisfied after experiencing one of the most fun concerts in the last several years. Almost as important was the fact that Tedder and the band expressed how much they enjoyed revisiting Ravinia and stated that any time they were in the area for their live tour, Chicago was the only area they were committing to staying no less than 2 days.

Smart band.

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