Phil Collins made a rare public appearance last night for his second induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. He’s already been recognized for his work with ‘60s rock group Genesis, but last night he was honored for his solo work. Travis Barker inducted him and played drums on Cynthia Erivo's cover of Collins' iconic 1981 debut solo single "In The Air Tonight."
Collins suffers from a spinal injury and nerve damage resulting from decades of intense drumming. During Genesis' 2021-2022 reunion/farewell tour, he sang sitting down while his song Nick played the drums. However, Collins hinted in interviews leading up to last night's ceremony that returning to the stage is not out of the question, and that he does have song ideas.
The last original song Collins released was "Look Through My Eyes" from the soundtrack to Disney's Brother Bear 23 years ago.
Accepting his Rock Hall honor, he said he was doing better these days ("I'm really not as bad as it looks") and that "you haven't heard the last of me, I can promise you that." Three of his Collins' children — Joely, Nic, and Lily — were in attendance.
Stereogum spoke to him on the red carpet and asked some normal questions, but here is a clip of some him talking about a Genesis deep cut, his archnemesis Noel Gallagher, and serial killers. ("I know more about serial killers than I do about music now," Collins said in one of multiple interviews that touched on the topic recently.)
This year's performers and presenters were all a surprise and the event did not livestream. It will air on ABC on Dec. 8, then stream on Disney+. But there was an audience in LA's Peacock Theater, so you can watch some videos below.
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