Phil Collins Makes His Long-Awaited & Triumphant Return To Tampa Bay
Phil Collins invaded Tampa Bay with his long-awaited and probably last, Still Not Dead Yet Tour.
You know it’s been a dang great show, when the young men of the cleaning crew come in early and are dancing in the aisles during his closing number, ‘Sussudio’.
Thousands of fans poured into the Amalie Arena on a Thursday night to experience the spectacle known as the 80s pop icon, Phil Collins.
Fans were caught a little off-guard when the once energetic pop icon really had no grand entrance, but did walk slowly from stage-right to center stage with the assistance of a cane to a chair. Crowds erupted and didn’t mind because they came to experience two-hours of musical bliss. He did explain his slow walk along with his cane, “Back operation, getting old sucks, foot’s f***ed”, he went on to assure fans, “But we’re going to have some fun, yeah?”
Being 68 and having had back surgery, you have to give the man props for scheduling 16 tour dates in America. The show kicked off very calmly with a dressed down version of ‘Against All Odds’ with his band behind him shielded by a curtain with a dramatic effect.
Even though he remained seated for the show, his band surely made up with the movements and hyping the crowd; as some of them should having been with him for such a long time, some even dating back to the Genesis days. But, it’s tough to see someone seated throughout the whole show, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind it too much.
There was one person who seemingly stole the show, his 18-year-old son, Nicholas who took his place behind the drums and blew the crowd away. The youngster exerted such an energy playing the drums during numbers such as ‘Another Day In Paradise’ and ‘In The Air Tonight’. He also went on to perform a drum off with Richie Garcia, who has been playing for Phil Collins for years; followed by a smaller number with his father as a trio.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the night was when Nicholas sat down at the piano accompanied by his father for ‘You Know What I Mean’. Before they started, Phil Collins explained how this song came to be one of his son’s favorite songs, “He asked me if I could teach him it, and you know, I only wrote the bloody thing, I couldn’t teach him it”. He went on to say, “I don’t remember what I did yesterday; that was over 35 years ago. It’ll happen to you, don’t worry.” Once the song finished, Nicholas and his father shared a tender moment as Nicholas embraced his father and kissed his forehead.
The most iconic part of the night was the drama that took over the arena when ‘In The Air Tonight’ with a standing, Phil Collins. The stage that was lit in a dark blue/purple haze with smoke and some back lights that erupted the arena in suspense, all while Nicholas hit a home run playing that iconic beat as his fathers voice echoed, ‘I can feel it…’.
Collins closed out the show with an encore of ‘Take Me Home’ as crowds cheered him on knowing it was his last song, perhaps the last time we will ever see him in Tampa as well. As he walked off stage slowly, he flashed a smile and waved back at the crowd. Thank you Phil Collins, what an incredible night.
SETLIST
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
Another Day in Paradise
Hang in Long Enough
Don’t Lose My Number
Throwing It All Away (Genesis song)
Follow You Follow Me (Genesis song)
I Missed Again
Who Said I Would
(Band introductions)
Separate Lives (Stephen Bishop cover)
Drum Trio
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven
You Know What I Mean
In the Air Tonight
You Can’t Hurry Love (The Supremes cover)
Dance Into the Light
Invisible Touch (Genesis song)
Easy Lover (Philip Bailey cover)
Sussudio
Encore
Take Me Home