Phil Collins Back at the Drums After a Decade, Rekindling Memories and Legendary Music Magic!

Phil Collins has been facing a challenging period recently, dealing with several health issues that have kept the renowned “In The Air Tonight” artist from performing or even drumming, a skill he is celebrated for. Nevertheless, Collins recently experienced the joy of playing his legendary Gretsch tom kit once more after over a decade, showcased in a new video by Drumeo.

The 73-year-old Genesis superstar has been contending with his physical well-being since approximately 2007, following a severe spinal injury. This injury led to him developing drop foot, a condition that makes lifting the front part of the foot challenging. Additionally, he suffers from chronic neck pain, a common ailment among drummers. These health issues have naturally hindered his ability to play the drums.

Phil Collins Briefly Revisits His Old Drum Kit in New Drumeo Documentary

In his latest documentary, Phil Collins: Drummer First, Drumeo interviewed Collins, delving into his legacy as one of the most iconic drummers of his era. The documentary also candidly explores Collins’ physical limitations and his strategies for managing them. A significant portion of the film features Collins alongside his musically talented son, Nic Collins, who is the drummer for Better Strangers.

Drumeo shared a snippet from the documentary showing Nic Collins and Drumeo host Brandon Toews working on assembling Collins’ long-unused drum kit. This kit is well-known for being used by Collins during Genesis’ legendary 1992 We Can’t Dance Tour.

Once the kit was assembled, Nic took the first turn to play it. He did an impressive job, even performing the famous drum fill from Collins’ 1981 classic “In The Air Tonight.” It’s important to note, however, that this particular kit is not the one Collins used in the original recording of the song.

Nic mentioned in the video that the drum setup required his father to lean forward to play effectively. He speculated that this positioning might have contributed to Collins’ poor posture and subsequent neck pain in his later years.

In the final moments of the video clip, Collins approaches his old drum kit and sits behind it. He gives the drums a few test taps before declaring, “That’s enough of that,” and stands up.

You can watch the full Drumeo documentary, Phil Collins: Drummer First, on YouTube: