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The Gathering with Anneke van Giersbergen to perform at AFAS Live for exclusive final concert featuring Mandylion and Nighttime Birds.

On Saturday, January 16, 2027, The Gathering with Anneke van Giersbergen will conclude the Mandylion anniversary tour with a one-off and exclusive show at AFAS Live in Amsterdam. After 29 performances around the world, the band’s original line-up will reunite one final time for an extended evening centred around Mandylion and Nighttime Birds—two inseparably connected albums that left a lasting mark on the international symphonic, progressive and atmospheric metal scene.

During this final concert, Nighttime Birds will also hold a special place in the setlist, coinciding with the album’s 30th anniversary year. The show will be an extended performance featuring songs that The Gathering has not played live in a very long time, making the evening a unique conclusion to this remarkable chapter in the band’s history.

With the release of Mandylion in 1995, The Gathering entered a new era. The arrival of Anneke van Giersbergen gave the band an instantly recognisable identity: heavy guitar riffs, expansive keyboard arrangements and a voice that cut through the music with both power and clarity. Songs such as Strange Machines, Leaves and In Motion #1 became genre-defining classics and established the album as a milestone within the scene.

Two years later, Nighttime Birds continued the musical journey that began with Mandylion. The album sounded more varied, spacious and cinematic, with tracks such as On Most Surfaces, The May Song and Nighttime Birds standing out as highlights. Together, the two records represent a pivotal stage in the band’s creative evolution: melancholic, heavy, dreamy and forward-thinking all at once.

The reunion shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of Mandylion have already demonstrated the enduring appeal of this era. The run of performances at Doornroosje sold out rapidly and was embraced by both fans and critics as far more than a nostalgic look back. Reviewers praised the international interest, the intensity of the performances and the way the material continues to resonate three decades later.

Anneke van Giersbergen herself recently reflected on how deeply these songs remain embedded in the band’s DNA, and how naturally the music, chemistry and memories returned during rehearsals and performances. That is precisely what makes this reunion so special: not a reconstruction of the past, but a living chapter in The Gathering’s ongoing story.

On January 16, 2027, The Gathering will bring these two iconic albums to AFAS Live for a unique evening celebrating not only the music, but also the shared journey that the band and its audience have experienced together for more than thirty years. Tickets are on sale now.