Peter Gabriel was recently interviewed by Mojo and revealed that he thinks Phil Collins wasn’t doing well during Genesis’ farewell shows.
The singer was present at Genesis’ final concert at the O2 Arena in London in March 2022. Sharing his thoughts on the band’s and Gabriel’s performance, he noted:
“Phil wasn’t in as great a shape as he used to be, but they did a great job. Me going was a rite of passage, really. I’d been part of the creation of Genesis, so I wanted to be there at the end.”
Collins’ son, Nick, also shared what Gabriel said in his backstage visit after the band’s last show in a chat with Rolling Stone in April 2022:
“He said he was happy to be there since it was important to him as well. He left in 1975, and he never looked back. He never fell back on the Genesis material. He had a very, very successful solo career. But it was just great for him to be there. He said, ‘This is the end of something I was a part of.’ We spoke briefly. And then him and my dad spoke pretty extensively and caught up about all their good times. It was pretty great to see.”
At the London shows of Genesis, Phil performed in a wheelchair and struggled to play the drums due to his condition. So, his son joined the band on stage to take over the drums. The singer has faced health issues since a spinal injury in 2007, causing nerve damage.
His Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford shared the details of Collins’ retirement days and current health status in a March conversation with Smooth Radio. The guitarist explained:
“As you know, Phil is a bit… He’s much more immobile than he used to be, which is a shame, but at the tour, he was in good spirits. He’s fine now at home, enjoying life. He’s worked so hard over the years. I think he’s enjoying his time at home.”
Genesis returned to performing live after a 14-year break with their ‘The Last Domino?’ Tour. The pandemic also caused some delays. Their last tour included concerts in the UK in September and North America in the fall of 2021, followed by 14 more shows in Europe and the UK in 2022.
