THE GATHERING's ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN: 'We Have No Plans For The Future' Beyond 'Mandylion' 30th-Anniversary Tour

In an interview with Paolo Phoenix of Magenta TV conducted at this month's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Anneke Van Giersbergen spoke about the ongoing reunion shows from her former band THE GATHERING to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Dutch rockers' "Mandylion" album. Regarding what it's like for her to  be back in the band that she played with for so many years, Anneke said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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. And we were always together in the studio, rehearsal room, on tour — day and night, we were together for so many years. So, obviously, then we were apart for 20 years, but when we got back together in a rehearsal room for this, it felt like yesterday. So it's so weird that you can feel the same feeling, and the jokes are the same... So we feel the same way. They feel like brothers to me. So it was very nice. On the other hand, you're more adult. Most of us have a family, and we lived life, and we're a little bit wiser, a little bit older. And so we also take that feeling into the rehearsal room and on stage with us, and it's quite special. But we didn't know. We didn't know how it would feel. But [it] could [have been] awkward as well. So you have this idea, 'Let's do this reunion,' but then you come together, and it's awkward. I mean, that was a possibility. But it wasn't. So it's quite nice."

On the topic of whether there are any aspects of "Mandylion" that she perceives differently now after more than three decades, Anneke said: "I guess, yeah. I don't know. When you're young, you have different emotions about subjects like love, and so when we play these songs now, sometimes you get thrown back into the same emotions that you had 20, 30 years ago. But they're not the same. You have different view of life — a little bit — when you're older. So I guess it's a two-part [thing]. You feel these same feelings and emotion when you sing these lyrics. On the other hand, you're kind of an adult and look at some things differently, which is nice, 'cause you can revisit these days."

As for the possibility of THE GATHERING carrying on with her beyond the "Mandylion" 30th-anniversary tour, 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. And on the other hand, to be perfectly honest, we didn't expect people to be so enthusiastic about us coming together again and celebrate this album. So we went from, 'Hey, let's do one show,' to, 'Hey, let's do a whole year of all the big festivals and clubs.' So it's super special, and we wanna keep it that way. So we have no plans for the future."

Asked what she would like THE GATHERING fans to walk away with after this special reunion tour, Anneke said: "Well, I like this question. We are enjoying so much playing these old songs. We're getting into these emotions and to the feeling and the vibe of the '90s, and I know a lot of people in the audience do, too. So this nostalgic feeling is very strong. And I hope people go away with, like, 'I felt 20 years old again,' and that was a great era, the '90s. So I hope people will get this feeling again and they walk away with that."

The "Mandylion" lineup of THE GATHERING kicked off its spring/summer 2026 European tour on May 19 at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London, United Kingdom.

THE GATHERING's "Mandylion" lineup played half a dozen shows last year to celebrate the classic album's 30th anniversary. The band is continuing the celebrations in 2026 with around 30 more shows in Europe, North America and South America, concluding with a headlining appearance on October 17 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.

Due to "personal circumstances", THE GATHERING keyboard player Frank Boeijen has been taking a temporary break from touring with the band and is being replaced by Remco Van Zandvoort, who previously filled in for Frank in 2022.

THE GATHERING's third studio album, "Mandylion" was released in August 1995 via Century Media Records. It was the band's first LP to feature Van Giersbergen.

Asked in an April 2026 interview with Chile's iRock.cl what it was like to play with Anneke again after such a long time, THE GATHERING guitarist René Rutten said: "At the beginning, we just started with only the musicians, because it's a bit more difficult to figure out how the music works. And then Anneke came by, and then she was so impressed with hearing the old classic songs, but now with two guitars and really full force, amps on 11. So, yeah, that's absolutely fantastic to do again. And also on stage, the same kind of feeling, like how we did it exactly also 30 years ago."

Regarding how the idea of the reunion and the celebration tour came about, René said: "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. And so it happened. Yeah. And that's why I'm now here giving this interview to you. So, yeah."

Asked if there are any plans for THE GATHERING's "Mandylion" lineup beyond the 2026 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. And after that I stay, of course, a little bit longer here in Chile, because I have my family here. And after that we will see — we will see what the future will bring. Anneke, of course, has her solo career and shows, and that's happening in '27. And we will see later what it'll bring and what it'll do."

The THE GATHERING's "Mandylion" lineup played five reunion shows at Doornroosje in Nijmegen, The Netherlands in August 2025. They also previously staged a kick-off "try-out" concert on June 29, 2025 at Dynamo in Eindhoven.

In November 2014, THE GATHERING celebrated its 25th anniversary with a one-time special show at Doornroosje in Nijmegen. All past and present members of THE GATHERING — from 1989 until 2014 — appeared on stage and performed in this unique show together.

Van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since released several albums on her own and with her AGUA DE ANNIQUE solo project.

In December 2025, Norwegian singer Silje Wergeland, who had been fronting THE GATHERING since early 2009, announced her departure from the band. She explained in a statement that "after 16 years of creating and playing great music with THE GATHERING" it was "time to move on to new ventures."

Prior to joining THE GATHERING, Silje sang for the Norwegian band OCTAVIA SPERATI.