Live Review: Phil Collins

After Craig 'Huggy' Huggins from Gold 104.3 FM's DJ set - which is perfectly pitched to this demographic and features the likes of INXS, Wham! and (sadly) Mambo No 5 - a Phil Collins highlight reel plays on the giant screen while the stage is set up for The Man Himself. We note the VIP merch packs have drumsticks, undoubtedly signed by Collins, poking out of them and just know that these will be bashed together and used to clap throughout the show (they are). 

The backing band hit the stage at 8.30pm, half an hour after advertised showtime, with Collins wandering out assisted by a walking stick. Collins then takes a seat on his swivel stool, front and centre, dressed in all black and as casually as tonight's crowd: zip-up jumper with T-shirt underneath, tracky dacks and trainers. But he deserves to be comfortable after a back operation and now nursing a "fucked" foot. On this night when there are a ridiculous amount of quality gigs on around Melbourne, Collins thanks us for our attendance: "There must be other things to do, but you chose us!”

Against All Odds opens proceedings. "How can I just let you walk away..." Collins clutches at the mic stand, pulling it towards him to express emotion. His voice is unmistakable – steeped in a lifetime of love, loss and all shades in between. "You're the only one/Who really knew me at a-all." An incandescent brass quartet joins those already on stage for I Missed Again and the foursome move in unison, travelling across and around the stage to change up the formation. Punters start randomly singing Happy Birthday (Collins turned 68 yesterday), but he chooses to ignore it. "Ok, about two or three hundred years ago I was in a band called Genesis," he jests, before adding, "And we're all great mates still, which is a great story." We score Throwing It All Away and then Follow You Follow Me by this much-loved act. During the latter song, a nostalgic collage - featuring the band goofing around during photo shoots interspersed with live footage - graces the humungous screen backdrop and we can't get enough of Collins' '80s mullet, which is 'zero at the front, party at the back', dispensing of the 'business' aspect altogether. 

His lyrical content breaks our hearts, particularly during Can't Turn Back The Years ("...when I look deep down inside I know/It's too bad I love you"). Then on this no jacket required evening we score a couple of songs from No Jacket Required, Inside Out and Who Said I Would. There's a lengthy section during which Collins introduces his exceptional band of players. Saxophonist George Shelby's instrument is described by Collins as "a reasonably sized thing" before trombonist Luis Bonilla is encouraged to show us how big his "slightly bigger thing" gets, then it all culminates in trumpeter Harry Kim hamming it up with his "smaller thing" - corny, but comical. The Vine Street Horns really are all that. "We went to the Genesis audition together," is how Collins intros rhythm guitarist Ronnie Caryl who he's been playing with for "well over 50 years". Lead guitarist/touring Genesis member Daryl Stuermer scores a whopping clap. Percussionist Richie 'The Octopus' Garcia has loads of bandaids on his fingers. 

"And here: a man who was actually clean-shaven when we started doing these introductions," Collins kids of Dumbledore-esque bearded bassist Leland Sklar. Of course Collins leaves his drummer, 17-year-old son Nicholas, 'til last. He's as handsome as he is talented, and Collins observes delightedly, "He brings the average age of us all down".

Once all introductions are done and dusted, one of the four brilliant backing vocalists, Bridgette Bryant (just, wow!), pulls up a stool beside Collins to perform the heart-wrenching, unrequited love duet Separate Lives - wonderful stuff. Nicholas and Garcia are then featured as Collins swivels on his stool to face them, watching closely and proudly before pummelling a box of his own down front. Then Nicholas and Garcia bring portable drums down to place either side of Collins for an all-in jam, and it's heartwarming until the audience participation clapping turns shambolic due to footage on the screens being out of sync with the action on stage. 

All return to the stage for the full-throttled majesty of Something Happened On The Way To Heaven. Nicholas then joins his dad at the piano and Collins tells us that, after preparing to play on this tour and listening to the back catalogue, his son found one song he liked, You Know What I Mean, which Nicholas plays beautifully on piano this evening while his dad sings. Pass the Kleenex, please!  

In The Air Tonight comes in with much fanfare and tripped-out multi-layered visuals as Collins stands to deliver this song during which vocoder is expertly played by keyboardist Brad Cole. Nicholas must surely look forward to pummelling those drums with measured force when they thunder in right towards the end of this song's arrangement. What a moment! You Can’t Hurry Love follows and Collins sits back down for this energetic The Supremes cover. Invisible Touch is another upbeat highlight.

The interplay between the backing vocalists and Collins, seated on his stool, during Easy Lover is fun albeit a tad 'ooh-err' Benny Hill. The brass section blasts effervescently throughout main set closer Sussudio, which Collins needs to sing in a lower octave for some parts. Stuermer's guitar solo here is flawless. Confetti cannons detonate and all are on their feet (except, understandably, Collins).


After drumsticks are thrown out into the audience, one of the trumpeters cheekily pretends he’s also gonna throw his instrument out into the crowd. 

We're thrilled when the entire ensemble return to the stage for an encore and Take Me Home makes a fitting finale. There’s not as many phone torches swaying in unison on command as you’d perhaps see at a Bieber concert, but that’s because everyone’s in the moment (and probably unfamiliar with how to activate the function). The rapt smiles on punter dials that flash up on the giant screens are all the proof we need that Collins still has plenty left in the tank. He's definitely Not Dead Yet. Experiencing Collins live is a great privilege.