Phil Collins Explains Why He Can’t Play the Drums With Health Issues

Phil Collins will always love playing the drums, but years of rock and roll have taken a toll on his hands.

“I’ve spent my whole life playing drums. Not being able to do that anymore is a shock,” Collins, 73, confessed in the Phil Collins: the drummer above all documentary, broadcast by Drumeo on Wednesday December 18.

The musician explained that after playing drums live with Genesis for five decades and on solo tours since the '80s, it had taken a toll on his hands and legs. The strain on his body led Collins to retire from drumming in March 2022 after his final performance with his band Genesis.

“If I can't do what I did as well, I'd rather relax and do nothing,” he said. “If I wake up one day and can hold a pair of chopsticks, then I'll have a chance.”

“I just feel like I've used up my air miles,” Collins continued, noting that not being able to play was “still kind of sinking in a little bit.”

The Oscar winner received his first plastic drum at the age of 3, which is how it all began. Two years later, Collins was playing music for his family. “It was something I could sit in front of and I would struggle in front of the TV,” he recalls.

A look back at his career, Phil's son Nicholas Collins said his father was like many musicians of his time and did not think about the effects of drumming on his muscles.

“Musicians, people in bands in general thought they were invincible,” Nic, 23, said. “I think that's really what's going on with my dad, it's just that kind of feeling that you're a beater, that you're invincible, that you do what you do. But you don't know that this will have harmful consequences in the long term.

In 2015, Phil underwent neck surgery which “stemmed from all those years of playing drums and poor posture,” according to Nic. Phil also suffers from foot drop, which is when one of your feet has no feeling. This illness led the singer to use a cane.

Before the Genesis reunion, Phil announced that Nic would replace him on drums due to his health. He remained the lead singer.

“I'd love to, but you know, I mean, I can barely hold a stick with this hand.” So there are some physical things that get in the way,” Phil said. BBC Breakfast in September 2021. “I'm a little physically disabled, which is very frustrating because I would love to play up there with my son.”

Phil then suggested that this tour could be his last. “We're all men our age, and I think to some extent, I think it's probably putting things to bed,” he teased. “I think, yeah, I think in general, for me, I don't know if I want to continue to hit the road anymore.”

Phil joined Genesis in 1970 as drummer. The group consisted of bassist Mike Rutherfordkeyboardist Tony Banksguitarist Steve Hackett and singer Pierre-Gabriel. The band went on hiatus in 2000 but reunited in 2006 for the Turn It On Again Tour.

Phil is gone The last domino? Tour with Genesis in September 2021. His last concert with the band was in March 2022 with Nic on stage with him and his daughter Lily Collins in the crowd.

“Tonight marks the end of an era. Attending this last show was truly the memory of a lifetime and an event that I will keep in my heart forever,” Lily, 35, wrote via Instagram after the show in London.

She continued: “Infinite gratitude doesn’t begin to do it justice. There was so much love left on that O2 stage and an even greater amount shared between an audience who didn't want it to end. Thank you @genesis_band for the memories, thank you dad for being such an inspiration and thank you @nic_collins for making me the proudest sister ever. 50 years of songs later and still generations to celebrate you long after this tour is over…”

Phil shares his son Simon, 48, and adopted daughter Joely, 52, with his first wife, Andrea Bertorellifrom whom he divorced in 1980 after five years of marriage. He shares Lily with Jill Tavelmanwhom he was married to from 1984 to 1996. The musicians also share Nic and his son Matthew, 20, with his ex-wife Orianne Cevey. The exes were married from 1999 to 2008.