Phil Collins has ruled out performing at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction later this year.
The In the Air Tonight hitmaker – who was previously honoured as a member of Genesis back in 2010 – has suffered a string of health issues in recent years, and while he thinks he is in better shape now than he has been for “quite a while”, he admitted it is unlikely he will be singing at the ceremony in November.
Asked about performing live in the future, he told BBC Breakfast: “I can’t really see it happening, but I’m healthier now than I have been for quite a while.
“I mean, this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thing, they asked me if I would perform and I said no, [because] you’ve got to be match fit to do something like that.
“You can’t just go onstage – you have to rehearse, and by that point if you’ve not been singing then your voice is going to be shot, and then that’s not going to be good, so I’d rather not do it.”
However, Phil would consider a full tour.
He added: “But whether I’d go out again, I would contemplate, yes.”
The 75-year-old musician – who performed from a chair while son Nic took on drumming duties during Genesis’ final shows in 2022 – insisted his health is “fine” now.
He said: “The last 18 months has been fine. Before that, not so good.
“Everything health-wise caught up with me at the same time. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, but everything is fine now.
“I had problems with my knee, which I had for a while but I played through it, I toured through it.
But eventually I had to have a knee operation and I had to have it done five times because it either kept getting infected or it broke.”
Reflecting on the physical limitations that forced him to step away from drumming, Phil recently admitted the adjustment has taken its toll emotionally.
In a rare conversation with Zoe Ball for BBC Two’s Phil Collins: Eras – In Conversation, he said: “It’s still kind of sinking in.
“I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock.”
But he didn’t rule out a live return if his health allows.
He added: “If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything. But if I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack at it. But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”
