Phil Collins, one of the most popular musicians of all time in terms of record sales, bid farewell to his legions of followers around the world in an emotional final show where he joked that he would now need to find “a real job”.
The musician announced his retirement from music after 40 years of performing at his final gig at London’s O2, where he was joined on stage by Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks from the band Genesis.
The group had come back together for their ‘The Last Domino?’ Tour, which had been cancelled because of COVID-19, after a 14-year break from live performances.
Collins underwent surgery in April 2009 to fix displaced vertebrae in his upper neck that occurred while he was playing drums on the 2007 Genesis tour. He was unable to feel his fingers after the surgery and could only hold drumsticks if they were strapped to his hands. Since 2015, he has been using a cane, and his health concerns had left him feeling unhappy and low on self-worth. His son Nicholas Collins will take care of the drums after he acknowledged last September that he could hardly grip a drumstick.
In an interview on the BBC Breakfast Show, Collins suggested that this might be his final tour. “I’d love to, but you know, I mean, I can barely hold a stick with this hand. So there are certain physical things that get in the way,” he said, adding that it might be the last time he will ever be on tour.
Collins began acting as a child actor before landing his first significant part as the Artful Dodger in the West End production of Oliver because of his musical talent. Six years later, in 1970, he became the drummer for Genesis. After Peter Gabriel left the group in 1975, he took over as lead singer. At 19 years old Collins responded to an ad in the paper from the band which was looking for a drummer. The band continued to grow after he got his new job, releasing five studio albums and touring the US. Following the departure of lead singer Peter Gabriel, the band held 400 auditions before selecting Collins.
He went solo in the 1980s and rose to prominence as one of pop music’s most popular artists during that time. Collins played at a Live Aid concert that earned more over $150 million for famine assistance in African countries. The concert was held at Wembley Stadium. Then, he boarded a Concorde and took off for Philadelphia, where he arrived a few hours later to perform for the cause.
The 71-year-old acknowledged last year that he doesn’t practice at home; he gave his final performance while seated. “I don’t do anything at all. I don’t practice singing at home, not at all. Rehearsing is the practice,” he said. Despite his health concerns, Collins gave his final performance while seated and it did not get in the way of the audience enjoying the show.
Collins will always be adored for the enormous amount of work he has done over the years, and his retirement from music has left his fans inconsolable. While it may be uncertain whether he will ever perform again, his legendary status as a musician and performer will remain forever.