It’s been 25 years since Phil Collins graced Charlotte, NC with his presence. The last time was in December 1994 during his Both Sides tour. I was 9 years old and my mother couldn’t afford to let me go. This time, she was more generous than ever to foot the nearly $400 bill, including fees and ticket insurance, for my wife and I to see my lifelong hero in his triumphant return to our part of the country.
Against all odds, if you’ll pardon the pun, the experience was more than worth it. It was my mom, after all, who turned me onto his music from the womb. My five-year-old daughter is a third-generation fan. In the dozens of times I have been to Charlotte to see many wonderful acts, no matter how exciting they were, I secretly wished it were Phil I was going to see.
Anyone who is acquainted with me at all knows I’ve gone to ridiculously strenuous efforts to see Phil Collins twice before, in New York City in 2010 and Washington DC last year. The show was every bit as good as last year’s Washington concert, with the slight exception that “You’ll Be in My Heart” was omitted from the Charlotte show, the anthem between my daughter and me. The obscure “Can’t Turn Back the Years” was replaced by the classic hit, “Don’t Lose My Number,” an upgrade from last year.
Phil’s voice appeared to be even better than last time despite his physical disability. His son Nicholas, 18, had sharpened his skills on the drums as well, which were already flawless. His dad, whose multiple back surgeries and numb extremities have prevented him from playing any instrument for more than a decade, is getting better on his part of the “Drum Trio” portion of the show as well.
Collins, 68, beat machine gun-paced rhythms on guitar back alongside his son and percussionist Ritchie Garcia. This succeed at 10-minute drum duet between Garcia and the younger Collins that had the audience so enthralled that many, including my wife and me, did not notice the elder Collins falling backward, having missed the chair in which he was supposed to have sat. A TMZ video reveals fans gasping and two assistant rushing to his aide. Obviously, it did nothing to diminish his performance, as the second half of the show was just as good, if not better, than the first. It wouldn’t surprise me if he made it back behind the drum kit once again after all.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was backed by his longtime band including several 30 and 40-year veterans such as electric guitarists Daryl Stuermer, bassist Leland Sklar, and keyboardist Brad Cole, all greeted by the audience as old friends. Aside from father and son, the Vine Street Horns were the centerpiece of the show with moves as slick as their notes. Saxophonist George Shelby was cooler than ever on his solo during “I Missed Again.” Acoustic guitarist Ronnie Caryl was introduced as Collins’ best friend and band mate of more than 50 years.
Backup singers Amy Keys and Arnold McCullough were in rare form as the pretended to vie for Phil’s affections during “Easy Lover” by rubbing his bald head. Along with Lamont Van Hood, they were all stars in their own right. However, it was Bridgette Bryant who owned the night, getting her own standing ovation for her powerful duet with Phil on “Separate Lives.”
The rest of the two-hour set list was packed with favorites including “Against All Odds,” “Hang in Long Enough,” “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven,” “Who Said I Would,” “Dance Into the Light,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “Sussudio,” and “Take Me Home,” the customary encore. The entire crowd was on their feet before “In the Air Tonight” had even started. Phil stood for this one, too.
Three Genesis songs, “Invisible Touch,” “Throwing It All Away,” and “Follow You, Follow Me,” were also offered.
“We’re all still great friends,” Collins said of his Genesis band mates. “So, you never know.”
At the idea of Genesis touring again and especially of them coming to Charlotte, I and the rest of the sold-out crowd of 16,000 roared our cheers of approval. Collins responded by throwing an imaginary fishing pole and reeling us all in with anticipation.
Perhaps the most touching point of the show came when Phil joined his son at the piano to sing “You Know What I Mean,” Nicholas’s favorite of his dad’s repertoire.
“He taught himself how to play it because I couldn’t remember and I taught myself the words again,” Collins said of the track from his 1981 solo debut Face Value. “In case you don’t like it, it’s a short song. So, it will be over quickly.”
Everyone obviously felt to the contrary, cheering heartily as the song ended with a touching embrace between father and son.
My cousin Jessi Hines designed T-shirts for us that good enough for two people to stop us on the street to inquire where we purchased them. While I didn’t get to meet him as I had dreamed, I did manage to come away with two shirts, a program as well as a VIP placard and commemorative pillow in a plastic tote, given to me by a kind woman who had an extra VIP ticket.
Best of all, I brought along the two books I had written featuring my two previous Phil Collins concert experiences with the hopes of presenting them to him. They were given to the man himself, thanks to Rowanda and the superb staff at Spectrum Center. This was the best staff encounter I have ever experienced. I feel truly blessed. The capacity crowd at Charlotte was as eager as me to see Phil and he certainly made worth the quarter-century wait.
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