On October 2, 1982, the legendary ‘Six Of The Best’ reunion show with Peter Gabriel and Genesis took place at Milton Keynes.
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Phil Collins’ last gig with Genesis at Cowdray Ruins on 18 September 1993
On 18 September 1993, Genesis played their last gig with Phil Collins at Cowdray Ruins before he left the band.
Genesis in 1993
1993 was a quiet year for Genesis. In 1992, the group had been on their huge’We Can’t Dance tour‘ following their 1991 album We Can’t Dance*. 1993 saw them returning to their solo projects. Phil Collins’ marriage to his second wife Jill started to fall apart with the tabloid press publishing story over story about the family. Phil wrote and released his solo album Both Sides*, a very dark and angry and certainly his most personal album, which unfortunately did not go very well with the critics. In these turbulent times, Genesis only played one gig, when they resurfaced briefly for ‘a charity gig at Cowdray Ruins in aid of the King Edward VII hospice where they were joined by such rock alumni as Pink Floyd and the remaining members of Queen.’1
Queen performed a set of songs with Roger Taylor and Paul Young from Mike and the Mechanics on vocals. Then Genesis took the stage, but not with their regular live members Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Stuermer on bass and guitar. Instead, Roger Taylor of Queen and Gary Wallis of Mike and the Mechanivs played drums for them and bass/guitar was played by Mike’s bandmate from Mike and the Mechanics, Tim Renwick, who also played with Pink Floyd.
Genesis’ reunion in the picturesque scenery among these famous headliners saw them playing ‘Turn It On Again’, ‘Hold On My Heart’, ‘I Can’t Dance’ and ‘Tonight Tonight Tonight’/’Invisible Touch’. According to some sources, they were also said to have played Phil Collins’s solo song ‘That’s Just The Way It Is’, but that is highly doubtable.
Next up was Pink Floyd who played some of their classic tracks from the 1970s, some also sung by Paul Young and with Mike on bass. Phil remembers: ‘The Floyd I’ve never loved apart from ‘Arnold Layne’. But we did this gig…I went to the sound check, and I was listening to the Floyd and a couple of the things they played I thought ‘I quite like that. There’s a couple of things in there that, you know. They show promise.”2
After Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton played a few songs (with Mike playing bass) and at the end, the ‘All Star Cowdray Ruins Band’, a band that featured everyone that had performed that night, played ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’, ‘Can I Get A Witness’ and ‘Gimme Some Loving’. YouTube videos and audio recordings of the show exist, but in a very low quality, which is a shame when considering this was Phil’s last gig with Genesis.
It was a successful, but ‘low-profile show’ and ‘few people would have ever believed that it was also Phil Collins’s final appearance with the band he’d now fronted for 18 unexpected years’3.
The show may have been one of the reasons for Phil to leave Genesis, as he remembers: ‘In the middle of my writing and making BOTH SIDES, Genesis did a concert with Queen. […] But I didn’t enjoy it … As I was singing these songs, it didn’t feel natural. Obviously, it was bad timing, going just like that from doing my most personal thing to a Genesis thing and back. But it definitely felt like ‘What am I doing here?’, like shoes that don’t fit anymore’.’4
Some time after this gig, Phil decided to leave Genesis, but his departure would not be announced until 1996. But that’s another story.
The line-up of the Cowdray Ruins band (according to the programme):
TONY BANKS: Genesis Keyboards
ERIC CLAPTON Guitar
PHIL COLLINS Genesis Vocals
JOHN DEACON Queen Bass
DAVID GILMOUR Pink Floyd Guitar
ADRIAN LEE Mike &. Mech Keyboards
NICK MASON Pink Floyd Drums
TIM RENWICK Mech./Floyd Bass/Guitar
MIKE RUTHERFORD Genesis Guitar/Bass
ROGER TAYLOR Queen Vocals/Drums
GARRY WALLIS Drums
RICHARD WRIGHT Pink Floyd Keyboards
PAUL YOUNG Mike &. Mech Vocals
Source: YouTube
Sources
Hewitt, Alan (2000): Opening The Musical Box. London: Firefly Publishing.
Platts, Robin (2007): Genesis. Behind the lines, 1967-2007. Burlington, Ont., Canada: Collectors Guide Pub.
Thompson, Dave (2005): Turn it on again. Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Genesis. San Francisco: Backbeat Books.
Title photo: Genesis in corcerto. Nizza – Luglio 1992 . Source: Wikimedia Commons, Valerio Ravaglia / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).
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The ‘Turn It On Again’ Reunion Tour
On 11 June 2007, Genesis kicked off their long-awaited ‘Turn It On Again’ reunion tour in Helsinki, marking the official return of Phil Collins as lead vocalist.
The Reunion Announcement
On 7 November 2006, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins held a press conference to announce that Genesis would reunite for a European summer tour in 2007, followed by a North American leg in the autumn. It was the first time Collins had officially rejoined the band since leaving in 1996, despite a few brief appearances over the years.
Joining them on stage were longtime touring members Chester Thompson (drums) and Daryl Stuermer (guitar/bass), both of whom had not performed with Genesis since the We Can’t Dance Tour in 1992.
Rehearsing After 15 Years
The band’s first full show was scheduled for 11 June in Helsinki. With no new album to promote, Genesis had the freedom to revisit their extensive back catalogue. But rehearsing after a 15-year hiatus came with unexpected challenges.
Tony and Mike not only had to relearn many of the songs, they also had to transpose them to accommodate Phil’s deeper vocal range. Phil, in turn, had to reacquaint himself with lyrics, particularly those written by Tony Banks, which he had always found tricky. Songs like “Domino” and “Home By The Sea” with lines such as “Sheets of double glazing” or “Nylon sheets and blankets” had always tested his memory.
Listening back to past live performances, Phil noticed how often he had deviated from the original songs. For this tour, he made a conscious effort to stick to the original versions.
On top of that, he had to get back into Genesis drumming shape. While he had continued to play on solo tours, most notably during “In the Air Tonight”, tackling complex pieces like “Second Home By The Sea” required serious effort. Thankfully, Chester and Daryl were there to support the process, with Daryl even helping Tony and Mike remember their own parts.
Despite the time apart, the old chemistry was still intact. In fact, the dynamic between the three had improved. Tony and Mike had mellowed with age, while Phil had grown more serious. This allowed them to communicate more openly, discussing things they wouldn’t have dared bring up 15 years earlier.
The Setlist
Genesis had a vast library of music to choose from and the setlist reflected that. Fan favourites like “Follow You Follow Me”, “Invisible Touch”, “Mama”, and “I Can’t Dance” were all included.
One highlight was a heavier version of “Land of Confusion”, clearly influenced by Disturbed’s popular metal cover. It gave the song a modern edge and fresh energy.
The band also included more intricate tracks from the later years, such as “Domino” and “Home By The Sea”, two of Tony Banks’s personal favourites. They opened the show with a medley titled “Duke’s Intro”, combining the instrumental from “Behind the Lines” with a section of “Duke’s End”. It made for a powerful, dramatic opening that set the tone for the entire night.
Phil played more drums than he had on previous tours, and for “I Know What I Like”, he even brought back the iconic tambourine dance from 1976, something he had to rehearse again after years off.
Two surprises in the setlist were “Ripples”, from 1976’s A Trick of the Tail (Phil’s first album as lead vocalist), and a fragment of “Duke’s Travels”, which was folded into a medley. In fact, the set covered nearly every album from 1973 onwards. Each show ended on a high note with the emotional “Carpet Crawlers”, a beloved classic from The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
Behind the Scenes
Stage design for the tour was handled by the legendary Mark Fisher, while Patrick Woodroffe created a stunning lighting design. A massive screen behind the band displayed visuals tailored to each song, giving every track a unique atmosphere.
Nick Davis oversaw the live sound, and the band partnered with the Encore Series to offer high-quality soundboard recordings of every show, making each concert available to fans.
Opening Night in Helsinki
The tour kicked off in Helsinki on a warm summer night. The band delivered a flawless performance, the visuals hit every cue, and fans were thrilled to see Genesis live once again.
Phil would later reflect that while many had hoped for a new Genesis album, the ‘Turn It On Again’ tour felt more like a farewell than a comeback. The band continued through North America in the autumn before bringing the curtain down.
Looking back, all involved agreed: the best part of the tour wasn’t just the music, it was the joy of being back with old friends and laughing together again.
Photo: Genesis, ofwel: Phil Collins, Michael Rutherford, Tony Banks, Chester Thompson en Daryl Stuermer.}} |Source=Maikel Koek, via Wikiportrait |Date= |Author=Maikel Koek |Permission={{Wikiportrait|2008041010026495}} (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).
Phil Collins’ Departure from Genesis in 1996
On March 28, 1996, Genesis officially announced Phil Collins’ departure in a press release titled: “Genesis end twenty-year experiment, decide to replace Peter Gabriel as vocalist.”
It marked the end of an era. But the story of Phil’s (temporary) exit began long before that.
Phil Collins Had Made Up His Mind in 1993
By 1993, Genesis were at their peak. The massive We Can’t Dance tour had wrapped up the previous year, and in the fall of ’93, the band performed at Cowdray Ruins, a charity concert alongside Pink Floyd, Queen, and Eric Clapton. Genesis played a short set and joined the all-star lineup for the encore. No one realized it would be Phil Collins’ last performance with the band for a long time.
At the time, Phil was already deep into writing what would become his most personal solo album, Both Sides. He played every instrument and produced the album himself, much like he had done on Face Value. The deeply introspective songs reflected his personal turmoil – his marriage to Jill was falling apart due to his affair with childhood sweetheart Lavinia Lang. With his family on the verge of breaking up again, he found it increasingly difficult to sing Genesis songs. He wanted to write and perform music that truly reflected his own emotions.
A New Chapter, a New Life in Switzerland
Sometime after the Cowdray Ruins gig, Phil confided in manager Tony Smith about his desire to leave Genesis. But Smith, ever the businessman, encouraged him to finish his solo album and tour first—then decide.
Phil embarked on the Both Sides world tour in 1994 and 1995, during which he met Orianne Cevey in Switzerland. Falling in love, he decided to leave England and settle in Lake Geneva. The British press harshly criticized him – both for his music and his personal life. He grew to resent his ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ image and felt increasingly distant from Genesis.
Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford Decide to Carry On
In 1996, the band convened in Tony Smith’s kitchen, where Phil finally made it official – he was leaving Genesis.
Tony Banks reacted with typical British understatement: “It’s a sad day, a very sad day.”
Mike Rutherford, on the other hand, was more surprised that Phil had stayed as long as he did given his highly successful solo career.
On March 28, 1996, exactly twenty years and two days after his first show as Genesis’ lead singer, the news went public. With Phil’s departure, Genesis lost not just their frontman and entertainer, but also a brilliant composer and drummer.
Still, Tony and Mike decided to continue, eventually searching for a new singer. Meanwhile, Phil focused on his solo career, though his success never quite reached the heights of the 1980s.
Despite going their separate ways, the three remained close. By the early 2000s, they occasionally reunited for special appearances. Then, a decade after Phil’s departure, Genesis officially came back together for the 2007 Turn It On Again tour.
But that’s another story.
Title photo: The world famous band – Genesis. Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford. (Photo 1991) . Source: Wikimedia Commons, David Scheinmann / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).