Phil Collins has been sat at a drum set for the first time in 15 years since he revealed he’d never play again.
Collins is the star of a new documentary called Drummer First, exploring his life and legacy as a drummer.
The 73-year-old music icon suffered a spinal injury in 2007 and has struggled with his mobility in recent years – which has restricted his ability to perform.
The star appeared on stage in a wheelchair for his last-ever Genesis show in March 2022, and only sang after vowing to never drum again over a decade before.
In the documentary trailer, Collins commented: ‘If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks then I will have a crack at it.
‘I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles. It just feels so strange to hold a pair.’
In the video, the artist looked frail and slightly overwhelmed as he returned to the drum set with the aid of his son Nic Collins, 23.
In 2009, the singer said that he was unlikely to ever play the drums again.
‘After playing drums for 50 years, I’ve had to stop. My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful, I even used to tape the sticks to my hands to get through.’
Collins and Steve Hackett, joined Genesis after its founding by Peter Gabriel, guitarist and Bassist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks, in 1970 and 1971 respectively.
The singer performed from a chair while on tour in 2021 and 2022 and confirmed that it will likely be his last tour as he continues to battle health issues.
Phil’s son, Nic Collins, took over playing the drums for his father on the tour – and appeared in the documentary to discuss playing with his father.
The singer also commented in the trailer that he sees himself as a ‘drummer first’ rather than a singer.
‘I’m not a singer that plays a bit of drums – I’m more of a drummer that sings a bit,’ he said.
Other notable drummers including Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith appeared in the documentary.
Chad could be heard saying: ‘He has such a unique sound and style that you know immediately when you hear it, that’s that guy.’
The late iconic drummer Dom Famularo could also be heard commenting: ‘The fact that we’re living in the time of Phil Collins is almost equal to what it was like when people were living in the era of Mozart.’
Drummer First premieres on December 18, only on Drumeo.
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