OneRepublic ‘The Sweet Escape Nova Red Room Performance’

Liberty Hall, Sydney 09/02/2026.

Oh we’ll be Counting Stars tonight that’s for sure, but really, if you just Stop And Stare long enough, you might very well get lost in this Artificial Paradise sure, but you’ll find that there’s actually only five stars here tonight, and they are the one and only OneRepublic! Okay okay, I Apologise for all the puns, but tonight is truly special, because while the band are in the country on their ‘The Sweet Escape’ Arena tour, they’re bringing their arena performance to Sydney’s Liberty Hall with a capacity of only 1,200 for Nova’s Red Room for one night only!

Even though tonight’s performance will only go for approximately 45 minutes, instead of the typical 90min to 1 hour 45 min sets, I reckon after experiencing the bands recent Sydney arena performance a few days ago, If I Lose Myself tonight and don’t wake up tomorrow, well at least I can truly say I Lived to my fullest!

Nova’s morning presenters break the ice, by coming out to hype us all up and share some of their radio-show banter, before introducing an Australia’s First Nation representative to say a few words, and welcome us all to country. This being what brings forth the band onto the stage sets a more personal, intimate feel to the initiation of the show, rather than the typical lights go out suddenly making the crowd exploding with excitement at most shows.

The band kick things off with ‘Good Life’ off the bands’ 2009 album. To my delighted surprise, it seems this is a somewhat acoustic show, as the stage filled with a full band array of instruments, including drums, bass, guitar, piano and even violin and cello, are all only mildly amplified, not a full rock show volume level, which usually requires the use of protective earplugs especially when up close. Instead, not only am I not needing to use earplugs, but I’m able to comfortably leave my hearing aids in, just needing to turn the volume down ever-so slightly. This exquisite sound adds to the intimate special atmosphere of the night, and judging how everyone even at the back of this small venue are cheering, I’d say the sound reaches them nicely too, helpfully assisted by the good acoustics of the venue.

Opening song ‘Good Life’ which is followed by ‘Stop And Stare’ and ‘Secrets’ all show off lead singer Ryan Ketter’s incredible ability to transition so seamlessly from crisp falsetto to warm tenor vocals with ease. This is so much so that I actually need to ask my friend if there is a female backing vocalist on stage, given my lack of sight. As lacking as my sight may be, I’m up close enough to the band in this venue here at the front barrier, for me to make out the movements of Ryan as he dances and moves around. Another special touch to the intimacy of this setting, is that after a song early on in the show, Ryan is able to clearly read my sign (Drumstick 4 Blind Guy Plz?) and asks me if I want a drumstick “I Have one right here, I won’t throw it to you, here you go” and holds it out to me to reach forward and be able to grab with a massive thank you! Experiences like this with bands connecting with fans on a one-on-one level, makes concert experiences all the more special, and are exceedingly hard in larger scale arena venues.

I’m mesmerised and entranced by the smooth unabrasive mix of sound, particularly the rich seductive violin and cello in ‘Secrets’ and ’Apologise’, plus the delicate at times, like in ‘Halo’ by Beyonce, (which lead singer Ryan tells us all that he wrote with Beyonce), and somber urgency of the piano in ‘Apologise’.

Even though the show tonight is a short one at only 45 minutes, the time is masterfully filled with all the hits fans know and love including the afore mentioned tracks ‘Good Life’, ‘Stop And Stare’, ‘Secrets’, ‘Halo’ (Beyonce cover) and breakout hit ‘Apologise’, plus ‘Something I Need’, ‘I Lived’ and the perfect finishing banger, ‘Counting Stars’. Between songs, Ryan shares with us how he loves writing songs for and with other artists including Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Empire Of The Sun and even Harry Styles, which we’re treated to a sneak peak of a song off Harry’s upcoming album which Ryan wrote or co-wrote. The title of this track titled ‘Need Your Love’. Other memories and stories shared by Ryan include how as an artist, when a song is found and becomes so widely popular, in OneRepublic’s instance ‘Apologise’, the pressure and anxiety to try and follow it up with another hit is potent, again in OneRepublic’s instance ‘Stop And Stare’ was that leap of fate. Even though Ryan may share the same or very similar anecdotes with fans at the bands arena shows, in a small intimate venue like this, Ryan is able to share these insights with us on a more personal level. I guess it’s like doing a formal speech to a large audience vs delivering the same words to a group of friends at a house party.

As the show concludes and the Nova radio hosts come back out to give us one last hype up for the band, happy ending indeed, giving the band a chance to slip out into their getaway car unimpeded, I think I can say all of us here in the audience are feeling very elated after tonight!

It’s not often that I can not only say that I thoroughly enjoyed the show, but it was truly special and memorable! The audience around me tonight weren’t pushing, shoving or overcrowding each other, all in very high spirits singing and dancing along to all the hits, but pleasantly respectful of everyone around them.

Experiencing a band like OneRepublic’s arena shows which may be very similar in a lot of ways is amazing in it’s own right, with their full-scale production and sound capabilities, but adapting basically the same show for an intimate personal venue with one-on-one interactions with fans and more relaxed story telling vibes is on a whole new level, and resonates through the soul in the most fulfilling way that only musical experiences like this can!

Until next time, thank you so very much to Nova Red Room and OneRepublic, I can truly say I Lived to the fullest!