Overview
- The 54-year-old opened the "Bei meiner Seele" tour at Cologne’s Lanxess-Arena to roughly 16,000 fans, with a second sold-out show scheduled for Wednesday.
- On stage he largely avoided addressing past statements, thanked supporters repeatedly, and leaned on a best‑of set.
- Promoter Marek Lieberberg says Naidoo has "unequivocally" distanced himself, calling the 2022 apology sincere and sufficient.
- Jewish organizations, including the Synagogen-Gemeinde Köln and the Werteinitiative, criticized giving him a platform and had urged cancellations.
- Two Volksverhetzung proceedings in Mannheim tied to alleged Holocaust‑denying and antisemitic Telegram posts remain pending, with his lawyers denying the accusations; organizers report more than 150,000 tickets sold for tour dates across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.