The Gentle Storm – Zentrum Altenberg, Oberhausen; April 16th, 2015
Anneke van Giersbergen presents The Gentle Storm said the announcement I read earlier this year. I didn’t have much of an idea what to expect and didn’t research either. Instead, I just bought a ticket, because I know Anneke can put on a good show. Her collaboration partner in this project is Arjen Lucassen of Ayreon. I had no idea who he is, but that has never kept me from checking out something new. It turned out to be a good choice. The concert was highly energetic and lots of fun!
Once again I was surprised to find only a handful of people at the door when I arrived one hour before thy opened. It was nice and relaxed – easy front row. The club was a good size, not sold out strangely enough and thy didn’t let us wait long before support act Stream of Passion entered the stage. They powered through their set, being the perfect warm up for what was about to come. Singer Marcela has an amazing voice and bassist Johan as well as guitarists Stephan and Eric where always on the move, showing their skills. I liked their set , it was a good fit for what was about to come.
Setlist
Monster
A War Of Our Own
The Curse
Deceiver
Street Spirit (Radiohead cover)
In The End
Haunted
It didn’t take long for Anneke and band to come out. The band included Johan and Marcela from Stream of Passion on bass and backing vocals. The whole set was divided into “storm versions” and “gentle versions” of songs, part of the gentle set was just Anneke on guitar. 🙂 Not having bought the CD beforehand I had no idea what to expect and was ready to be surprised. Since Anneke has worked with so many bands and played so much different music, anything was possible. 🙂
They started with a storm set and rocked the house, flying hair and everything. Just watching them was wonderful and they sounded great. From time to time I even forgot to take pictures, because I was blown away by the music so much. Needless to say I immediately put the CD on my “to buy” list. After the powerful six song set the band walked of stage, leaving Anneke alone in he spotlight.
The first song she played was a beautiful version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish you were here’. The song has always been one of my favorites and instantly brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my face. I loved the song and I loved how quietly the audience listened. Only Anneke’s wonderful voice was heard without interruptions. Of the next three songs only one, ‘The Moment’ is on the Gently Storm CD whereas the other two were covers from Ayreon, the band of Arjen Lucassen, Anneke’s collaborator on this project. The set gave everyone a chance to catch their breath and just listen for a while.
Soon the band was back for another rocking set with more songs from their album and a few more covers. I loved the change in pace and moved along with the music. singing along wasn’t possible, but listening was just fine. Everyone seemed to enjoy the music and have fun. The room was full of positive energy! When the set ended, I did not want them to leave and we called them back out for an encore. Two more songs before thy sent us off into the night. What a great evening!
Sadly, I didn’t have time to stick around and chat, because I had a train to catch. Hopefully I get another chance to soon.
Setlist
Endless Sea
Heart Of Amsterdam
Brightest Light
The Storm
Eleanor (The Gathering cover)
New Horizons
Acoustic:
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover)
The Moment
Valley Of The Queens (Ayreon cover)
Comatose (Ayreon cover)
Cape Of Storms
The Greatest Love
Walking Dreams (Ayreon cover)
Strange Machines (The Gathering cover)
Isis And Osiris (Ayreon cover)
Encore:
Fallout (Devin Townsend Project cover)
Shores Of India