Phil Collins was forced to back out of his first headlining concert in about five years, stating that he was unwell. Apologising to the audience at the benefit concert in Miami Beach, Collins claimed that doctors had told him to rest his vocal cords.
“Trust me, you wouldn’t enjoy it [if I sang],” Collins said on Saturday night. The 63-year-old’s performance had been expected as the grand finale for the charity concert, which was a fundraiser for his Little Dreams Foundation. Although the singer went through with soundcheck, he said it hadn’t gone well. He had been seeing doctors for the past two days, receiving treatment for “some sort of neurological affliction that he said strikes every now and then”, according to the Miami Herald. This left Collins with no choice but to sit the gig out.
“We were just as disappointed as everyone else that [Phil’s] voice did not return in time to sing and he could only make an appearance,” organisers said in a Facebook statement. Despite the absence of their headliner, the evening included performances by Richard Marx, Laura Pausini, Gigi D’Alessio, and a band featuring Collins’ 13-year-old son, Nick. Other performers were beneficiaries of Little Dreams’ youth programmes, which offer music, art and sports mentoring to underprivileged children.
Some ticketholders had travelled to the concert from very far away and complained about the way organisers handled Collins’ decision. Tickets cost between $120 (£77) and $380 (£244) and no refunds were offered. “They knew Phil wasn’t going to perform and it was insinuated all night that he was,” wrote a fan from Brazil. “We’re not rich like the people down on the floor and it was a lot of money for working folks.” A traveller from the UK said it was “disappointing ... however the talent on show was great and the evening hopefully raised lots of money”.
Apart from a recent appearance at his children’s school, Collins has not performed live since 2010. After revealing that a severe spinal injury prevents him from playing drums, Collins also described wrestling with depression and alcoholism. In a statement in September, he emphasised that he “[is] not ready to return to the full concert stage at this time,” torpedoing rumours of a Genesis reunion or full world tour.
