In 1992, Phil Collins cancelled a Genesis show at Tampa Stadium, only two songs in, due to illness. No new date was announced, and not only was that the first Genesis show in Tampa: It was the only Genesis show in Tampa.
27 years later, without Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, Phil hobbled onstage 10 minutes late, with a walking cane, and sat right down in front of a long sold out Amalie Arena Thursday night. “Thank you for coming, cause I know that you had a choice, you know?” Phil basically meant we could either stay at home watching TV (specifically “CNN, and watch Trump make a fool of himself.”) or come and see the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer. He indeed would be sitting down the whole night, but his set was nothing short of breathtaking.
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) was his opener, which made a ton of sense. I mean, for real, take a look at him now. It’s been nearly fifteen years since Phil’s first farewell tour, and that was back when he was still walking around stage, and drumming for ten minutes straight. Now, here we are, and though both of those aspects of his performing are more or less gone, he’s still got the voice, and was willing to bring it with him on his comeback tour.
Another Day In Paradise saw the curtain behind Phil rise to reveal the glorifying band that would be backing him up tonight. Two drummers, including his eighteen-year-old son Nic, a four piece horn section, and Genesis’ touring bassist, Daryl Stuermer, just to name a few, were involved. Most of the people in the band have actually been playing with, or have at least known Phil for years on end. Even bassist Leland Sklar, who has played with almost any big name artist you can imagine, has known Phil since 1986’s No Jacket Required.
“About 3 or 400 years ago, I was in a band called Genesis!” he rasped. “We were around for quite awhile, so the chances of me choosing a couple of songs you want to hear are pretty slim, I’d say.” The odds were actually more in our favor than we suspected. Throwing It All Away, back to back with Follow You Follow Me, were his selections. And much later, the former drummer even dusted off Invisible Touch.
If you’ve been a follower of Phil’s for years, you probably remember when he did the duet Separate Lives for the movie White Nights with Marilyn Martin. Standing in for Marilyn during this show was one of Phil’s backup singers, Bridgette Bryant, who crooned out Marilyn’s part flawlessly, in front of a night-sky draped stage backdrop. When the song ended, something you wouldn’t expect at a Phil Collins show today happened: Nic and Richie Gajate Garcia began a drum duel/duet. But why isn’t that normal? Well, a drum duel, or solo anyway, can be seen at many concerts. But when Phil Collins, who noticeably did not sit behind the drum kit at all, starts tapping his hands on a slap-top cajon, that’s when things get crazy.
Nic and Richie stepped away from their kits and joined Phil with their own cajons. The venue absolutely erupted in cheers of approval.
The 10 minute drum trio segued into Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, seeing the four-piece horn section make a grand return to their corner of the stage. Later came a father-son duet of You Know What I Mean, with Nic on piano, and Phil on vocals. “He decided to listen to my albums,” Phil explained. “And he said to me, ‘I found one I like.'” It’s a pretty brief piece, but it hasn’t been played on tour since the 80s, so why not dust it off?
Then, Phil stood up from his seat, and In The Air Tonight was orchestrated behind him. The venue erupted all over again. The cameras came out, and that iconic drum lick in the middle of it all caused claps, stomps, and air-drumming from all around the dome. Later came his critically acclaimed cover of The Supremes’ You Can’t Hurry Love, and his confetti-vandalized main set ender, Sussudio. Phil hobbled offstage with his cane once again, just to come back on moments later for a 10-minute encore of Take Me Home.
For the health problems he’s faced in the last few years, it’s a wonder that Phil still performs. But even if he didn’t, thank God he’s still not dead. Hopefully, it’ll stay that way.
Josh Bradley Live 