Ailing Phil Collins, 70, performs seated in a chair as singer battles health issues

Genesis legend Phil Collins stunned audiences at ‘The Last Domino? Tour’ in Detriot, Michigan, this week, as he belted out hit classics, while seated on a chair, as part of his farewell tour.

Collins, more recently the 70-year-old musical whiz behind Disney’s Tarzan soundtrack, now gingerly walks with a cane. The ailing star performed his entire concert seated, determined to keep the show going, despite battling debilitating nerve damage that affects both his hands and back. 

 Toronto Star writer Nick Krewen captured what many were thinking when he wrote that the singer’s “performance proved to fans that nostalgia is the balm that heals all wounds,” but that it was also a “bittersweet” reminder that age and health issues eventually catch up with us all. Even rock and roll royalty like Phil Collins. 

The tour comes shortly after Collins spoke about his health concerns back in September during an appearance on BBC breakfast, confessing he can “barely hold a drumstick”. 

Collins ensured fans were treated with a medley of some of his biggest hits and ballads including The Air Tonight and Land of Confusion. Though Collins is unable to play the drums, his voice is as powerful as ever and fans were also treated to extravagant light shows.

This wouldn’t be the first time the musician has pushed against his health difficulties to perform on tour. During October of this year, the band took their tour to Glasgow where Collins also remained seated while he reprised the band’s hits. 

The decline of his health has been well-documented throughout the years, with Collins being spotted using a wheelchair after undergoing back surgery following a fall in his bathroom in 2017. 

When asked about 2022 tour dates in his interview with music magazine Mojo, Collins responded with, “This English and American tour, that will be enough for me”. 

On another occasion, the Metro reports Collins as saying that the Genesis tour was a way of ‘putting the band to bed’.

Collins had also previously confirmed that the long-awaited tour will be his last as his health continues to decline.