OneRepublic's India Debut Was a Mixed Bag

The American pop-rockers’ Mumbai show would have been flawless with a more streamlined set list

- Riddhi Charaborty

What surprised us most during One Republic ’ s Mumbai debut was how many of their songs we inadvertently seemed to know. Thanks to the excessive airplay the band has managed in their heyday, every other lyric and hook sounded familiar even if we couldn’t always recall the song title.

The American pop-rock group made their much-awaited India debut on April 21st and while there was expected social media thrill at the announcement of the show last month and the days leading up to it, the attendance at the concert itself told a different story. We were bracing ourselves for an overcrowded rock show but when we arrived at around 7:30 p.m. (right when Mumbai-based opening act ONEmpire were finishing their set) the venue was roomy enough for us to perambulate freely. It did fill up a little more by 8:30 p.m. when OneRepublic finally took the stage, but awkward patches of empty spaces remained. Blame it on the low-key marketing or the last-minute venue change from BKC’s MMRDA Grounds to Mahalakshmi’s NSCI. All the same, it was heartening to see a diverse crowd—families with kids, boisterous college students, professionals arriving straight from work in loosened ties.