One Republic – Spark Arena,4th February 2026: Review & Photo Galleries

5th February 2026

Music is generational, a shared joy, where in that moment during your favourite song, everything in the world just seems right. If anyone needed proof of that, they just needed to attend the One Republic show at Spark Arena last night.

For a band that has given their fans over two decades of their life, One Republic were determined to belt out as many songs as they could and with a performance that lasted just over two hours, there would be few that could complain that they didn’t get their money’s worth.

To kickstart the night however, not one but two rather special support acts. Wellington band Skram, who Ryan Tedder and the rest of his crew fell in love with last time they played Aotearoa after discovering them at a local bar, were personally invited to open the show, their almost whimsical attire and mix of both original tracks such as Heroes along with a fantastic cover of Coldplay’s Yellow made them an instant hit with the sold out crowd.

To follow was an incredible set by none other than the English artist Freya Ridings, who is not only a singer and song writer, but a multi-instrumentalist.

Dressed in a stunning black dress with embroidered sleeves and cuffs, her ethereal voice commanded a silence where the audience sat back and let her music wash over them, especially when she sat down at her piano.

Rising to fame with her cover of Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (guitarist Nick Zinner having appeared at Spark Arena just last week as part of Iggy Pop’s band) put her on the radar, but it was her track Lost Without You that captured the hearts of many.

Having recently released the empowering Wicker Woman and with Wild Horse about to drop later this month, a beautiful song that Ridings has been teasing snippets from, it is no wonder thousands were present early in order to witness her set.

Ridings later seen outside the arena just before One Republic were due to play looking elated as she twirled around in her black ensemble for a photo shoot under the full moon and city lights.

Kicking off their Australasian leg – and only New Zealand show – of the Sweet Escape tour in Tāmaki Makaurau, One Republic pulled out all the stops to ensure that their fans both old and new would leave with memories that lasted a lifetime.

Born from their 2016 Oh My My album opened the show, before Runaway upped the tempo and soon had everyone moving with them, Feel Again quickly following it up complete with white streamers that rained down from the ceiling upon its conclusion.

It is here that accolades need to be given to the stage and lighting designers, while live shows are always exciting to witness, this was a design that truly showcased all six members of the band, while providing effects that underscored the nature of individual tracks.

A triangular lighting rig pointing out towards the audience often giving the effect of a sheer curtain, providing depth and almost a tactile feel to the performance.

Throwing down a couple of big singles, Good Life was welcomed with open arms, Ryan Tedders sunshine yellow jacket embodying the nature of the song itself.

Pausing to speak to the crowd, Tedders spoke of how if things got any weirder in the states, he may just have to move here, before speaking of how their second official single is why they are still together as a band. Stop and Stare seeing the whole arena raise their voices to sing along.

The impressive stage design proved what it could do for Light It Up as burning embers appeared to float towards the sky, hues of amber enveloping the artists, Tedder grabbing a tambourine while the band delivered a deep swagger to elevate the track from something rather different to their usual fare.

Throughout the night, One Republic would often take a break from the stage, instrumentals such as Singapore and Artificial Paradise complete with animations of a little robot served as palette cleansers and ensured that the fans were still ensconced in the feel-good vibes of their music.

Ensuring that the majority of their big hits made an appearance, Secrets complete with duelling violin and cello thanks to Brent Kutzle and Brian Willet respectively, had the whole arena eating from the palm of their hand.

Rescue Me doubling down as Tedder showed off his astounding vocal range as the band built up to the chorus which soon had everyone stomping their feet.

Tedder is quite the storyteller and loves to connect with the audience, from speaking of his career as a songwriter for artists such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Adele and even Maroon Five, to his love of New Zealand (he has a silver fern tattooed on his right arm).

Sharing that love he was soon kicking signed rugby balls into the audience, before gifting one young fan in the front row his All Blacks bucket hat.

Run, Something I Need- (a song he thanked both Australia and New Zealand for embracing) – and Life in Colour all made the set list, the latter a track that the entire band performed while seated at the front of the stage and a song that Tedder admitted he wished he had put a little more attention into as it had obviously become one of his favourites.

Just to prove that he can sing many of the songs he has written for others, Tedder delivered versions of Halo and Bleeding Love before the band once again left and a short but sweet montage of places around Auckland was played on the big screens.

Upon their return, Lose Somebody, their track with Kygo was quickly followed by arguably one of their most popular songs ever, Apologise, Tedder delivering heartfelt vocals from his seat in front of the piano while the stage was bathed in red.

Back into the feel-good vibes and Wherever I Go saw Tedder hit impressively high notes that even he laughed about later, commenting that he does not know why he continues to write songs that are so damn high!

The fans then being surprised with a new track entitled Need Your Love that One Republic will be releasing shortly after the tour.

I Ain’t Worried, a delightful earworm of a song that is guaranteed to have you trying to imitate the impeccable whistle for days afterwards, saw mums and dads dancing with their kids and couples singing to each other, before Love Runs Out gave drummer Eddie Fisher (who often drummed with percussion mallets throughout the night) a chance to show off his skills with a huge flourish to bring the song home.

Closing in on two hours, the hits just kept on coming, I Lived which was preceded by a montage of fans speaking of how much One Republics music meant to them, is a feel-good hit that would lift anyone’s spirits on the darkest of days, Sunshine following in its footsteps.

One would have thought the show might end there, but Tedder and company still had more love to give, as guitarist Zach Filkins appeared solo under a single spotlight and delivered a masterclass in Spanish guitar while using a loop pedal to layer the sound.

Counting Stars was accompanied by Tedder speaking of how being broke and worrying about how to pay for things in life was the catalyst for the lyrics, the song leading into a medley of I Don’t Wanna Wait / Lose My Mind and If I Lose Myself complete with confetti cannons to close out the night.

But even as the crowd started to move towards the exits to the sound of Wonderwall by Oasis, it seemed as if Ryan Tedder really didn’t want to say goodbye to his beloved Kiwis as he picked up a microphone and began to sing along, many of their fans turning back to sing with him in what was a beautifully unrehearsed and candid moment.

Don’t worry Ryan, it is very clear that Aotearoa loves One Republic too.

Sarah Kidd