Anneke van Giersbergen, the voice of The Gathering, one of the heroic bands of 90s metal, came back to Greece for four live shows – two shows in Athens, one in Larisa and one in Thessaloniki. Anneke would perform acoustic only shows, that means she would only sing, playing her acoustic guitar. A microphone, a guitar and Anneke – that’s all, but who asked for more? Myth of Rock could not miss Anneke and her solo live show, so in these lines you will read what happened during her first date in Athens, on the 30th of April, 2025.
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
photos by Iro Kalligeri (@irokalligeriphotography)
It was my first time in Gazarte. More specifically, Anneke would perform at the main stage, which means that most of the attendants would be seated. Indeed, the venue was filled with tables and chairs, each table with a candle on it. We arrived early at the place so that we became familiar with everything at Gazarte, which gradually started to get crowdy. You could see many couples, middle-aged fans who all adored The Gathering and Anneke and were eagerly waiting for the onset of the live show. Anneke didn’t leave us alone for long – the sweet girl from the Netherlands appeared on stage and kept us good company for almost two hours. One of the most sincere, warmest and more personal acoustic live shows was about to begin!
Anneke made her entrance humbly and the audience burst in applause. The original voice of The Gathering stood in the middle of the stage, without other musicians supporting her, but with a large crowd of music lovers, who were there, crazy for Anneke! After a short prologue, necessary for both the musician and the listeners, Anneke started the show, performing the songs she had prepared. We listened to songs from her solo career, some from The Gathering and covers of famous songs. The girl with the velvet voice sang beautifully and passionately all the songs– it is incredible, but her voice is in a very good condition! Her performance was brilliant and the audience, understanding that, was mesmerized! Although she had only a guitar to accompany her singing, Anneke performed brilliantly – some mistakes added to the authenticity of the show. She gave us her everything- this one woman show was dense, raw and emotionally charged. I also liked very much the covers, especially “November Rain” (Guns N’ Roses), “Who Wants to Live Forever” (Queen) and “I Want to Know What Love Is” (Foreigner) – Anneke is technically clever, her arrangements were superb and her feeling was flowing like a stream of water!!! She touched everyone with her sensitivity and sincerity – her acoustic show was like no other – so melodic, true and soulful, we all were super excited and lost in a dream of notes and harmonies!!!
Anneke sang for about two hours and travelled us to many, beautiful places. Her voice is warm, mellow and crystal and for two hours, we lived in paradise. Thank you Anneke, see you soon!
