Overview
- Roughly 2,000 guests attended the Jan. 9 reception in the Kaisersaal of the Munich Residenz hosted by Bavarian premier Markus Söder.
- Reports attribute the band’s absence to storm “Elli,” which led to canceled flights from Hamburg and left the seven musicians stranded.
- Leandros had flown to Munich the previous evening, while her band stayed for a prior engagement and planned to travel on the day of the event.
- She adapted the program to a piano-backed set, with clips shared by Söder on Instagram showing her projecting over a noisy room.
- Recovering from hip surgery, Söder arrived on crutches, and the customary long defilee was dropped for this year’s reception.