THE GATHERING’s ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN: ‘We Have No Plans For The Future’ Beyond ‘Mandylion’ 30th-Anniversary Tour
Anneke van Giersbergen, former singer of Dutch rock band The Gathering, has said there are no plans to continue the group beyond its ongoing tour marking the 30th anniversary of the album "Mandylion". Speaking to Magenta TV at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, she explained that the reunion's appeal lies in its rarity, and that extending it indefinitely would dilute its special significance for both the band and its fans.
Van Giersbergen described the reunion as an emotionally powerful experience, likening her former bandmates to brothers despite a 20-year gap since they last played together regularly. What began as a single celebratory show snowballed, after strong fan enthusiasm, into a full run of festival and club dates across 2025 and 2026, including a show at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on 19 May 2026. She said she hopes audiences leave feeling transported back to the nostalgic spirit of the 1990s, but stressed the band's future beyond this tour remains undecided.
In short
- The Gathering's Anneke van Giersbergen rules out plans beyond current reunion tour
- Tour marks 30th anniversary of the band's "Mandylion" album
- Reunion grew from one show into a full year of festivals after fan demand
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The decision to end the reunion after this tour preserves what makes it meaningful. A reunion's power derives from its rarity and emotional weight—the sense that this is something genuinely special and unrepeatable. Extending it indefinitely risks transforming a poignant, finite gesture into a routine enterprise, eroding the very qualities that have drawn fans and created such powerful emotional experiences for both audience and musicians. By maintaining this boundary, the band ensures the reunion remains a treasured moment in time rather than becoming diminished through overexposure.
The case against
There is no compelling reason to artificially constrain something that brings joy to both performers and audiences. The musicians have described the reunion as deeply meaningful, and audiences are clearly eager for more; the natural economic and creative incentives would encourage the band to maintain quality throughout any extended run. The argument that rarity creates magic is speculative—many beloved bands sustain their power across numerous tours—whereas the actual cost is concrete: years of missed performances, lost connection with fans, and foregone joy. If The Gathering can maintain the authenticity that has defined this reunion, the principle of maintaining boundaries becomes a limitation on happiness rather than a genuine protection of meaning.
Explained simply
The Gathering are a Dutch rock band whose 1995 album Mandylion became a defining release in their history. Anneke van Giersbergen was the band’s singer on the album, which helped bring them a wider audience.
Van Giersbergen and her former bandmates have reunited for a tour centred on Mandylion’s 30th anniversary. The band’s changing line-ups and long periods apart make the reunion a rare chance for fans to hear this era of their music performed together.
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