“People are so enthustiastic about The Gathering, and we are too” – interview with Anneke van Giersbergen

During Wacken Open Air, we got the chance to interview Anneke van Giersbergen from The Gathering, about live shows, touring and more.

Hi Anneke, how are you doing at the moment?

Anneke van Giersbergen: Good, good. I’m happy to be back at Wacken. It’s such a great festival. I mean, it’s like a village, and it’s like, everybody’s so nice and beautiful and everything. Yeah, it’s great.

Absolutely, yeah. And you’re returning here, two years later, after your spectacular performance at the church. Did you ever think that you’d be back here with The Gathering?

Anneke van Giersbergen: No, never in a million years. To be honest, we didn’t realize, even though, you know, the time that we kind of talked about, “Hey, let’s do a show for “Mandylion”, because it’s 30 years, let’s celebrate. We do one show, maybe two”. You know, we didn’t realize it’s going to be like a whole year of special shows. And yeah, we’re so blessed that everybody’s jumping on it, everybody’s coming to see us. And people are so enthusiastic, and we are too. It’s great to be together for this.

For sure. I think that these shows also are bringing some fans that weren’t there at the beginning, when you released “Mandylion”. So also new fans like me, I wasn’t even born maybe when you released “Mandylion”.

Anneke van Giersbergen: But that’s so nice, because that’s also a thing that we didn’t realize, that obviously you have the people that are our age, or 10 years younger, that have this nostalgic feeling about this album, and those days in the 90s. But there’s also people like you, that were too young to go to a concert. We have our favorite bands from the 70s, and we were too young to see them. I once saw Paul McCartney play when I was a baby, and I was a young kid. My parents, they were playing the Beatles. I saw Paul McCartney live, and my mind was blown. It’s not that I am comparing myself, but you know what I mean. I know the feeling when you were too young, but you still can see the bands that you really like, when they have reunion shows. And we didn’t realize, but there’s a lot of people like you coming to the shows, so there’s a lot of young people coming to the shows, and that’s great.

I know that you have tons of experience with performing, and also, you told me that you enjoyed also going to see theater, but do you remember the first time you toured Europe?

Anneke van Giersbergen: That was, I think in 94 or 95, and it was the first tour with the “Mandylion” album, with The Gathering, it was with Moonspell, and that was so much fun. We never played 12 days in a row, right? Now, we always do the long tours, and we play 30 shows with one day off, or whatever, but then it was like, “Ooh, 12 days in a row. Can we manage?”

We didn’t know. So we closed our eyes and we jumped into the tour life, together with Moonspell, and we remained friends ever since. Like, I still talk to Fernando for a long time, and we toured with Lacuna Coil from the very, very start, and we still see each other, we still are in contact, so we gained so many really good friends also from from touring life.

So Wacken has four days of incredible bands, like yourselves, obviously. If you could pick an artist that you haven’t done a collaboration before, that’s on the bill this year at Wacken, which artist would you pick?

Anneke van Giersbergen: Yngwie Malmsteen. I mean, he’s such a god, you know, he’s so great, and he’s such a hero, and,I think he’s also a very interesting guy to talk to. In any case, meeting him or collaborating, that would be so cool.

But also, with your solo work, you’re touring this fall, and you’re going to come to Italy as well.

Anneke van Giersbergen: I can’t wait to show my band, I have a big eight-piece rock band, and the stage is going to be full with people; we have a violin player, we have somebody who plays many instruments, we have a keyboard player, and we have, like, a good rock song set. We play some The Gathering as well, we play some covers, we play my music, of course. Yeah, so I’m happy to come back.

Are there any food or drinks that you try to avoid eating or drinking before a show?

Anneke van Giersbergen: Yeah, very spicy foods, because it gets in your throat. For as a singer it’s not nice, and also for your belly, you know. Citrus fruits, kiwi, orange. Actually plain food is the best also for your belly, that you’re not super full when you’re on stage, and your stomach is working on the food, you know. I usually eat very little or none, and then after the show a little bit. Yeah, it’s the best. Because your mind is clear when you have an empty stomach. But then I’m very hungry after the show.

What are your favourite pizza toppings?

Anneke van Giersbergen: Favourite pizza? Not pineapple. Sometimes we are ashamed because sometimes we drink cappuccino after 11 in the morning. No, because in Holland it’s like, “Are there Italian people? Okay, I want a cappuccino after lunch”. So we try to avoid, but when we are in Italy we keep the rules in mind. But favourite pizza topping, I like the mozzarella cheese, I like lots of greens, like pepperoni and red peppers. And I like the pepperoni meat, it’s a little bit spicy.

Anneke, thank you so much always, for your time and thank you for your music. Please never stop doing what you’re doing. Is there anything else that you want to add to our viewers and readers?

Anneke van Giersbergen: Well, I just hope everybody comes to the show and I hope everybody tonight has a good time when we play with The Gathering. And I love Italy, so I love returning. And thank you for your time.