OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS, ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN IS BACK WITH THE GATHERING AND I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING 🤧! I mean, who needs personal growth or new music when you can just reunite with your old band and play the same songs you’ve been playing for 30 years? 🙄
So, Anneke Van Giersbergen, the legendary vocalist of The Gathering, sat down with Paolo Phoenix of Magenta TV at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany to talk about the ongoing reunion shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of their iconic album “Mandylion”. Because, you know, 30 years is a big deal, and we need to milk this nostalgia cow for all it’s worth 🐮.
Apparently, being back in the band feels like no time has passed at all, and they’re all just one big happy family again. Anneke said, “It’s quite special, because when we were young, we were young adults, and whatever you do then, you pick up like a sponge, and you take with you for the rest of your life.” Yeah, because nothing says “special” like a bunch of middle-aged people singing songs they wrote in their 20s 🎤.
The Mandylion Lineup: A Trip Down Memory Lane
The “Mandylion” lineup of The Gathering kicked off their European tour on May 19 at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London, and they’re playing a whopping 30 shows in Europe, North America, and South America. Because, you know, the world was just missing The Gathering’s unique brand of atmospheric rock 🌎. And, of course, they’re playing all the hits, including the entirety of “Mandylion”, because who needs new music when you have nostalgia? 🎉
But, let’s get real, the real question on everyone’s mind is: what’s next for The Gathering? Will they keep touring and playing the same songs forever? 🤔 Anneke said, “I don’t know. We liked it to be special, right? If we would go on and on and on now, it wouldn’t be special anymore, and it wouldn’t have the impact that it has now.” Yeah, because playing the same songs for 30 years isn’t already getting old 🙄.
René Rutten Spills the Beans
René Rutten, The Gathering’s guitarist, also chimed in on the reunion, saying, “We got the [‘Mandylion’] gold album two years ago in the Netherlands. And we had a meeting, and we had a lunch. And during the lunch I asked Anneke, like, ‘Let’s do something special with being this album 30 years old.'” Wow, what a wild and crazy story 🤯. I bet the lunch was, like, totally epic 🍴.
And, of course, the question on everyone’s mind is: will The Gathering continue beyond this reunion tour? René said, “No, we don’t have any plans for the future. No. The last show will be in Chile, from this kind of ‘Mandylion’ 30th-anniversary shows.” Yeah, because that’s not a recipe for disaster or anything 🌪️.
In conclusion, The Gathering is back, and they’re playing all the same songs you’ve heard a million times before. But hey, who needs progress or innovation when you can just reunite and play the hits? 🎸. So, go ahead and shell out your hard-earned cash to see them live, because, you know, nostalgia is a powerful thing 💸. 🎟️
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
