Warren Zeiders sells out the E-Werk in Cologne
Bellah Mae opens with an acoustic set
The night began at 7 PM with the rising British singer-songwriter Bellah Mae, who sang a 30-minute acoustic set accompanied by a guitarist. Mae has a great voice and performed flawlessly, but the early crowd’s response was polite rather than overwhelming. Her set included “Drama King”, “Salt & Sugar”, “On Purpose” and “Platinum”, along with a reimagined cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, and closed with “Fast Lane”.
Warren Zeiders: country with a rock-star swagger
Warren Zeiders returned to Cologne to a bigger crowd. His previous concert took place at Carlswerk Victoria in early 2025; this time he headlined the E-Werk.
During the stage reset, a bizarre mix of warm-up music, ranging from Britney Spears to Papa Roach and Slipknot, blasted through the venue at considerable volume. As the lights dimmed, Nickelback’s “Rockstar” morphed into the sound of a revving engine mixed with police sirens. The five-piece band walked on stage, followed a few seconds later by Zeiders himself, amid flashing lights and a surge of energy. He appeared in jeans, a denim jacket, a cowboy hat and sunglasses.
Zeiders opened with the slowly building, mid-tempo “Intoxicated”. His sound leaned heavily towards rock, with beefy guitars driving “Up to No Good” and a modern country-meets-alternative-rock fusion on “Betrayal”. After the first couple of songs, he shed his denim jacket, keeping the hat and sunglasses while performing in a white tank top.
The powerful, more traditional country number “Heartbreaker” briefly slowed the pace before the energy picked up again and remained high throughout a performance packed with heartfelt songs, all delivered in Zeiders’ unmistakably gritty and somewhat nasal voice.
“In case you didn’t know, I’m Warren Zeiders!” he told the crowd after a few songs. The introduction was hardly necessary by that point.
“No Brakes” and “Drinking Game” followed with raw energy, before “Weeping Willow” was dedicated to “all the ladies”, of whom there were plenty in attendance. For “Overrated”, Bellah Mae returned to the stage for a duet. The heavier side of his music was particularly evident in “Sin So Sweet”, with a distinctly ’90s grunge feel. Zeiders delivered it to a crowd that was there to rock just as much as he was. “Never Look Back” and “Pretty Little Poison” were saved for the final stretch of the set.
The connection between the stage and the predominantly young crowd was unmistakable, with plenty of fans sporting elaborate Western outfits. It was fascinating to see a new generation discovering country music through emerging artists like Zeiders, who closed the night with “Ride the Lightning”.
As a frontman, Zeiders was remarkably confident. He spent the night charging across the stage with a constant smile and plenty of charisma, working the crowd and leaning heavily into his rock-star persona. Billed as a country show, it felt louder and far more rock-influenced: bombastic and swaggering, with more than a dash of machismo.
