Genesis‘ The Last Domino? tour arrived in the U.S. on Monday night. But unlike the last time the British legends toured, back in 2007, frontman Phil Collins, 70, is performing while sitting down, due to nerve damage that affects his hands and back. However, Phil’s band mates say that, so far, the singer’s been a real trouper.
“He’s done well,” bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford says of the European dates the band has already completed. He tells USA Today, “Funny enough, we almost got through the [European] tour and I got COVID, but Phil was perfect. He’s doing fine. When you see the show, he definitely holds the crowd.”
Keyboard player Tony Banks adds that Phil’s 20-year-old son, Nicolas, who’s taken over for his dad on drums, “really plugs the gap very well,” adding, “The visuals work in a way that a seated Phil isn’t as noticeable.”
Adds Rutherford, “People come to the show and say they forget Phil isn’t moving around.”
As for whether or not The Last Domino? tour will live up to that question mark, both Banks and Rutherford say that it will.
“We’d always say never say never, but there comes a point…,” says Banks. “When we do the final show next year, that will be it.”
Rutherford notes, “I think there will be a lot of tears…It’s been nice for the three of us to spend some reconnected time together. It makes you solidify things. There are things that only the three of us understand because we lived it.”
Adds Banks, “It’s important to know when to stop something. So I’d say if you want to see Genesis, don’t put it off ’til the next one. We’re not like The [Rolling] Stones.”
Genesis’ tour continues Thursday in Washington, D.C.
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