Phil Collins 

Suncorp Stadium Brisbane 19.01.19

Phil Collins makes his way onto the stage in front of forty thousand paying customers with the aid of a walking cane. It’s no sight gag. Collins lowers himself into a chair, takes a hand mic and deadpans … “I had a back operation a few years ago. [And] my foot’s fucked.” 

Welcome to the start of the Australian leg of the Not Dead Yet tour. The band kick in and Collins starts proceedings with a powerful take on the now fitting, ‘Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)’. 

The fact that the singer is confined to a chair for the majority of the night doesn’t mean a thing. As a vocalist, despite the compromise of sitting down, Collins digs deep. 

‘Another Day In Paradise’ is an early signpost that offers a glimpse of what’s to come. The band and singers take the lyrical bruising of the chorus somewhere special. Already it’s a notable ‘moment’, and we are only two songs into the set list.

Kudos to Collins for not scrimping on players. Alongside his four backing singers are a four piece horn section who appear through the night to add a little sass to a series of riffs so deeply embedded in our collective psyche that the show becomes less about nostalgia and more about celebrating the fact that we are here, that Phil is here and this stadium is about to be lit up by one of the great pop catalogues of the late 20th Century. 

The big screens remind us all of Phil’s history and, to a point, our shared history. There’s pictures of skinny Phil, hirsute Phil and global superstar Phil dominating the back drop pre-show. 

By the time he’s careering through ‘I Missed It Again’, ‘Hang I Long Enough’ and ‘Can’t Turn Back The Years’ it becomes more about right here, right now. 

Early on there’s a minor missed note, but by mid-show Phil has built up an unstoppable head of steam. There’s not a lot of banter, but he reminds us that he joined Genesis ‘about four-hundred-years ago’. He offers to play a song or two and understands we’ll be unhappy if it’s not the one we wanted. That’s the pact.’Throwing It All Away’, with Genesis alumni Daryl Struermer, on guitar is a highlight. As is ‘Follow You Follow Me’. Somehow that nagging refrain leads to one of the more emotional points of the evening – having Collins and Co. … plus 40, 000 other voices singing in unison is a powerful thing. 

With the legendary Leland Sklar on bass, the rhythm section is rounded out by percussionist Ritchie Garcia (replacing Luis Conte) and Phil’s son Nicholas on drums. 

So how good is the seventeen year old Nicholas in front of a stadium? He’s incredible. The old man’s signature sound and fills are executed perfectly – while the young man brings his own grunt and swagger. 

Of course there’s a drum solo and it’s epic … it concludes with Collins, both senior and junior, and Garcia, centre stage beating boxes. 

After almost ninety minutes seated, Collins gets out the chair and stands in front of the mic stand. It’s a powerful thing as the opening strains of ‘In The Air Tonight’ seep out into the audience. When Nicholas has the spotlight for that drum fill that is so deeply embedded in every child of the 80’s: it’s a moment of seismic proportions. 

The show only gathers momentum as the old pro litters the final furlong with bullet proof choruses and a swag of hits. The Supremes ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ is brilliant. ‘Easy Lover’  and ‘Invisible Touch’ are simply uplifting. 

After the cannons, streamers and confetti, Collins closes the show with a beautifully rendered ‘Take Me Home’. 

Something special happened tonight. Against all odds Phil Collins made it back to Australia to play those songs that were an unavoidable soundtrack to our lives thirty odd years ago. Somehow, the nostalgia, those trademark key changes, the killer horn lines, the humour and the songs themselves led to something that was bigger that Phil and bigger than us. 

Sean Sennett

ENDS