15. September 2026
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Drake Milligan (14th September 2026, Cologne)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

On 14th September 2026, it was time to head to another Sound of Nashville show in Cologne. Drake Milligan had the last German show of his Tumbleweed World Tour at the Carlswerk Victoria, supported by Koen Vael.

This posting comes with 348 major size pictures as part of the concert gallery.

 

Carlswerk Victoria – About The Venue

It’s been quite  while since I went to Carlswerk Victoria in Cologne. The last show I covered was 49 Winchester in October 2025. The 1,600 people capacity venue is one of the mid-sized ones in Cologne, being located in a former industrial area. The Carlswerk area features several cultural venues and attractions, like the Wellnest Cologne private spa. There is a public parking garage right next to it. However, you can also take bus 150 to Schanzenstraße / Schauspielhaus or have a bit of a walk from the trams operating at Keupstraße. The venue also has a smaller sister one, Club Volta. For this show, the venue has been reduced by roughly one third using a dividing curtain.

 

 

Drake Milligan – About The Artists

Drake Milligan is a US American country and country swing artist. He was born on 1st June 1988 in Arlington, Texas. In the CMT Series Sun Records, he portraited Elvis Presley. Milligan became a professional artist in 2017 and released two albums so far. The most recent one, Tumbleweed (2025), topped the US Country Charts. I reviewed his 2024 EP Jukebox Songs. There are also some concert reports about the artist, including one in February 2025 in Cologne.

Milligan’s support act in Cologne has been Koen Vael. He is a country artist from the Netherlands, whose first single release has been Hate Me in 2024.

 

Drake Milligan – The Show

The evening was scheduled to start at 19:00 – and that’s right when Koen Vael entered the stage at Carlswerk Victoria with his guitar. His sound was initially very traditional and rather calm, and you could feel some nervosity. The some 600 to 700 people crowd in Cologne seemed to feel impressing to him. His set started with his single Good as Gone. Soon, he apologized for his limited knowledge of German, stating that the only word he knows is Geschlechtsverkehr (i.e. sexual intercourse). It was a nice mixture of calmer and more energetic tracks.

In between, he shared how it was Drake Milligan himself who inspired him applying for a TV talent show. Finally, he ended up as a semifinalist of The Voice of Holland. With Don Williams’ Tulsa Time, his set featured a cover as well as his latest single, Blue Motel No. 9. His most impressing song of the 40 minute set was a bluesy track with a high proportion of instrumental section, underlining his excellence on the guitar.

 

Drake Milligan’s Traditional Country Music show

The lights at the Carlswerk Victoria dimmed at around 19:58, featuring the classic Pretty Women and the Tumbleweed intro, before Milligan and his bandmates finally went on stage. From the very first moments, he caught Cologne with Sounds Like Something I’d Do and Bad Day to Be a Beer. The songs featured rather early songs of his career, like Tipping Point, but also multiple songs from the Tumbleweed record.

There were emotional and touching moments as well. One of those was after How Much Beer, when Drake reminded of Dolly Parton. His version of 9 to 5 lead to an exceptional applause – maybe Cologne wanted to make the legend of female country music that Germany loves her, too – even in heaven. There were other calmer tracks like Lonely:30, while Cologne partied to the more present sound of Tumbleweek. Finally, the audience enjoyed a two hour show of traditional country vibes, which did not feel old-fashioned at all.

 

Drake Milligan – The Gallery

Here are 348 major size pictures of the show. They are located in the concert gallery:

 

Drake Milligan – My View

Drake Milligan is one of these artists, which can be extremely valuable to develop country music in Germany. His sound is attracting the rather traditional country music fans. However, he is so fun and energetic, that fans of contemporary country music and other genres enjoy his energetic show as well. Again, he delivered two hours of top notch entertainment. After he likely roughly doubled his audience compared to the February 2025 show in Cologne, it will be interesting what his next step in my home town will be. On that evening, he definitely left a mark in the heart of many old and new fans.

 

Sound of Nashville on Flyctory.com

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