“This is a love song I wrote … for Jay-Z,” announced OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.
In a show packed with surprises, the American band delivered their catchy anthems with plenty of oomph at Abu Dhabi’s inaugural Amplified Music Festival.
And none were more intriguing than his rendition of Beyonce’s Halo, which he wrote for her after she called him out of the blue to express her adoration for her rapper partner.
“She said I want you to write a song for this guy I love,” Tedder said. “I didn’t know she was dating anyone, so I Googled it.
“It turns out she was seeing Jay-Z. So this is what I wrote for him.”
Opening the two-night event at Yas Links, Yas Island, on Friday, the band took to the stage in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,000.
Energetic singer Tedder — sharp, polished and dressed in black — arrived to thunderous cheers before blasting through OneRepublic's many radio-friendly hits.
Their back catalogue is a mix of cutesy rock (too many guitars to be considered simply pop, too many string instruments to be considered anything harder) and Calvin Harris-style clubby beats, with some piano solos thrown in for good measure.
It is the second festival at the site in as many weeks, with fans flocking to the capital for the first time since almost all Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. A fortnight ago, despite Liam Gallagher pulling out at the eleventh hour, the show went on at Club Social with the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Clean Bandit and Example performing.
Amplified kept the tempo going by welcoming OneRepublic back to the UAE during their first world tour, and the band started off the night by diving straight into Kids and Good Life. “We’ve played Dubai more times than we can count,” said Tenner after 10 minutes on stage. “This is the first time we’ve been lucky enough to perform in Abu Dhabi. It’s the beginning of the concert and I’m already telling you that we’ll be back.”
They continued through Stop and Stare, from the break-out 2007 album Dreaming Out Loud, and the more recent Rescue Me. And, that’s when Tedder teed up a “special surprise” was to come.
Despite forming in 2002 and rising through the ranks of MySpace (remember that?) as an unsigned act, the band only really took off after the release of Dreaming Out Loud and hit single Apologize.
Alongside the band's 15-year career, Tedder has carved out a name for himself as one of the greatest pop songwriters of his era, penning the aforementioned Halo alongside Adele's Rumour Has It, Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love and Ellie Goulding's Burn, to name a few. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, The Jonas Brothers and Demi Levato join the list of stars he's worked with. And, having promised “good vibes only tonight”, Tedder seized the opportunity to play a medley of his finest hits made famous by others.
The crowd, needless to say, roared along in delight as he took to the piano and flaunted his exceptional vocal range — the man is a phenomenal talent.
Aside from one recent rogue journalist (“no, I won’t say who or what country we were in”), who thought they were turning up to see One Direction, the band drew in delighted fans aged from 7 months to 70 years.
Top Gun star Tom Cruise appeared on a giant video screen to introduce I Ain’t Worried, which, again, Tedder was specifically asked to write, before OneRepublic finished off the evening with the likes of Counting Stars and If I Lose Myself.
Amplified continues on Saturday with fellow American group Cas. With any luck, they’ll extend yet another love story the wizarding writer Tedder delivered for fans. It's not all for Jay-Z, of course.
Amplified Music Festival returns on Saturday, doors open at 7pm. Tickets, priced from Dh149, are available to buy at livenation.me
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
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Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
