OneRepublic thrills Kaohsiung crowd; lead singer sports temple vest

Kaohsiung, Dec. 22 (CNA) American pop-rock band OneRepublic performed to a packed audience at Kaohsiung Arena on Friday night, with frontman Ryan Tedder delighting fans by wearing a Taiwanese temple-style vest and speaking Mandarin on stage.

The show opened with the high-energy number "Born," sending the crowd into a frenzy that grew as Tedder donned the vest on stage. It was a gift from the concert organizers printed with his and the band's names.

During the two-hour concert, OneRepublic performed hits like "Secrets," "Run," and "Stop and Stare," while the packed crowd sang along, creating what many fans said was an atmosphere of a giant karaoke show.

While performing "Runaway," Tedder did some improvisations, changing the lyrics at one point to "My friends in Kaohsiung."

He shouted out to fans in Mandarin, saying "Kaohsiung, ni hao, ni hao (hello, hello)," and drew happy laughter when he said that he loved the city and its food and planned to order lots of dumplings when he returned to his hotel after the show.

The concert closed with the song "Counting Stars," as thousands of fans lit up the arena with their cellphone flashlights.

It was OneRepublic's fourth visit to Taiwan. They will perform at Taipei Arena on March 4 next year.