Within Temptation Fans Day

Our Farewell

Robert

Ruud

Jeroen

Sharon and Martijn

Towards the end of the afternoon came the highlight of the day that we had all been waiting for - the concert.
After a slightly false start the intro music fired up and WT burst on stage with 'See Who I Am' followed by 'The Howling' just brilliant !! Next to come was my personal favourite 'The Cross'. This was a real selection of fans favourites for sure. A real treat was in store when the most voted for song on the fan site 'Jane Doe' was played. Robert joked that he didn't know if his throat could take the growls any more ?
A brilliant set finished with 'Deceiver of Fools' and 'Ice Queen' despite Robert teasing the audience by saying they were bored with IQ and wouldn't be doing it....never!!

Full Set List
See Who I Am
The Howling
Stand My Ground
Memories
Our Solemn Hour
Angels
Jane Doe
Mother Earth

Deceiver Of Fools
Ice Queen

It was a truly unforgettable day - My thanks go to Within Temptation you Rock! The excellent organisation from Diny and friends at The Silent Force and finally to Trevor for getting us there and back safely !



The Fans day had many other things going on before the concert. All of which was brilliantly hosted by the one and only Ivar De Graaf in his own hilarious and chaotic way.
Ivar was the original drummer for Within Temptation before leaving to form his own band Kingfisher Sky. I will be seeing KS in a few weeks as they are supporting Delain in Utrecht. If he ever decides to give up drumming he certainly should consider a career as a quizmaster or maybe not?
As well as the quiz (Congratulations to Team Sharon) we also had lots of clips of previous of previous fan days from years gone by. Also there was the opportunity to listen to extracts from some of the songs that will be on the new album due for release early next year. I have to say I think it is going to be epic judging fom the snippets I listened to.
Finally we had the raffle where Ivar was joined on stage by Martijn to form a double act to rival 'Laurel & Hardy'. Lots of goodies were given away including some special creative packs hastily put together by Ivar. These included 'My Favourite Scarf' so Stephen was not forgotten either.

'Mr Compere' Ivar De Graaf

With Sharon.

With Martijn

With Robert.

With Ruud Jolie - Hope he likes the Sloe Gin!

Fans gather ahead of the opening welcome as I look down from the VIP balcony.


The 5th annual Within Temptation Fanclub Day (The Silent Force)was held on October 10, 2010. It took place at the Waerdse Tempel in Heerhugowaard (NL).
Myself and Trevor made the long trip from the UK over to Alkmaar using a combination of 6 different trains including the Eurostar.
Thanks to the brain power of Trevor who won a competition we had VIP tickets for the day including a 'meet and greet' with the band.
The doors opened around 10:30 and we were given the VIP passes and felt very priviliged as we were ushered into a seperate room and awaited the arrival of the band.

As they arrived I think we all froze for a few seconds! Until Robert called everyone forward. I have to admit I did feel nervous which was ridiculous because they were absolutely wonderful and a delight to meet.
I had taken a few photos from the Antwerp gig as well as a CD cover which I was hoping to get signed. First up was Robert , who I reminded that we had spoken briefly in Antwerp. He thanked me again for coming and we chatted about the new album. Then it was the turn of Jeroen who was very chatty and not like I had expected really. He did say that he likes to blend in the background and keep something of a low profile.
I had taken a special gift for Ruud as I am a huge fan of his guitar style. However I did ask him a bit of a daft question... Do you dink alcohol? Of course the answer was yes , so I presented him with a Cello shaped bottle of my home made Sloe Gin. I think he was a little surprised as Sharon usually gets the presents. I noticed he was hanging on to it and I hope he enjoys !!
I then spoke to Martijn who was actually bigger than me which I was surprised about as I am over 6ft !! He said that nobody kicks sand in his face anymore..
Then I met Sharon who not surprisingly was highly in demand. She was as lovely as I imagined and very patient signing so many things for the fans. In fact she almost had to be dragged away once the session was over.