The Musical Box feat. Phil Collins – Geneva 2005 – concert report

The 24th of February 2005 went down in the history of the band. A memorable event took place during a concert of The Musical Box. None other than Phil Collins came on stage in Geneva for an encore and played the classic The Musical Box with the tribute band.

I: They say there’s always magic in the air

The journey from Frankfurt via Gau-Odernheim, where we picked up 2 old friends, to Geneva went without a hitch and we checked into the hotel at 3.30pm. Around 4pm I get the first information that Phil is in the venue doing the soundcheck. We unpack, have a shower and get ready for the event; we check out the venue and the area and find a nice pub (which is just around the corner from the venue).

We meet banjogirl [nickname of a user in the German fanclub forum] outside the venue and find out that we can’t get in before the show, but that we can spend a few minutes with the master after the show. A quick chat, then off to the pub to get in the mood with burgers and Irish beer. My physical reaction sets in at 6.30pm. I’m biting my fingernails and, much to my girlfriend’s annoyance, I’m fidgeting and can’t be calmed down.

So we went to the hall to be admitted after 30 minutes. Once inside, we had a quick chat with everyone involved before entering the hall. It was a very nice atmosphere, which gave us hope for a great evening. Winfried [the promoter] is also there and then the news: Phil is sitting 2 rows in front of us. My heart rate is now 234 and I can’t calm down. I wait and watch, watch and wait, wondering when and how Phil will perform.

II: it is here. it is now. it is Phil

Shortly before the concert starts, Phil, wearing a visor cap and very unspectacular casual clothes, accompanied by his pretty wife Orianne, comes down the aisle on the right and takes a seat exactly 2 rows in front of us. The interesting thing is that hardly anyone in the hall notices his arrival, even when about 5-6 fans come up to him and ask for an autograph. I also step forward and then the time has come… So I am standing in front of Phil Collins. I get down on my knees, not only to be at eye level with him and to ask him for an autograph, but also because otherwise I would probably have fallen over from the excitement.

Although he’s only there as a spectator and doesn’t really want to sign autographs, he’s more or less happy to do so. On the one hand, it is understandable that he wants some peace and quiet, but on the other hand, as a world star surrounded by so many ‘weirdos’, he has to expect it.

Now it’s getting too ‘tricky’ for the stewards too and they stop the game, because 5 minutes later the hall darkens and the spectacle can begin. I take my eyes off the stage from time to time (what a sacrilege, I know!) and watch how Phil takes in the show. On the one hand, he would occasionally turn his head to the left to answer questions from his male companion (whoever that was) or to make statements of his own. He repeated the same game to the right with his wife Orianne. Phil enjoyed the show.

He nodded his head during Carpet Crawlers, slapped his hand on his thigh every now and then to the rhythm and had a great time listening to Denis calling his drummer Slipperman. Phil also greeted the Slipperman performance with a big grin. He applauded almost every song. During The Waiting Room Orianne looked at him with a look that fell into the ‘what the hell have you ever smoked’ category, but was definitely worth the price of admission. In The Light Dies Down On Broadway Phil puts on his shield cap and things get exciting.

III: We’re waiting for you. Come and join us now

Phil took advantage of the opening sequence of the last song it (the hall is very dark here and the only light source used is strobe effects) to leave his seat relatively unnoticed and disappear backstage via the right aisle. The final notes of it mingle with the applause of the Geneva audience and the stage lights remain on.

All the members of The Musical Box are busy preparing for the encore, including the drummer. However, he suddenly leaves his seat and walks off the stage, where he meets the great master on the right. Phil and Martin embrace, the intention of the embrace being clearly Phil’s, who ‘holds his image close to his chest’. A magical and honourable moment for Martin.

The cheering from the audience is relatively normal at first, as only insiders and those in the front rows can see what is happening on stage. This is not only due to the not so bright lighting, but also to the planning of Phil’s performance. On the one hand he didn’t want to be announced by the band as a guest of honour, like Steve in London, but to come on stage quietly and secretly and play the planned song. This was his condition, which was respected by The Musical Box. Another aspect was that Phil was wearing the same colour T-shirt as Martin, so it wasn’t immediately obvious that there was someone else on drums. The only difference was the writing on the shirts. While GENESIS was written on Martin’s chest, THE MUSICAL BOX was written on Phil’s chest.

He was now gradually being recognised, although in my opinion not everyone in the hall was 100% aware of it. So the encore could begin.

IV: Play me my song. Here it comes again

Denis begins with the well-known story of The Musical Box, while Phil (armed with glasses until the song starts) is busy turning the odd screw on ‘his’ drum kit and adjusting a cymbal stand here and there for himself.

The first notes of The Musical Box ring out and I think to myself as I hear Phil’s first cymbal hits: Well… it’s great, but somehow Martin makes it sound more exciting. What a diabolical mistake! Of course Martin plays the piece differently than the master himself, but my thoughts are proven wrong a short time later. Phil shows his absolute skill and it seems as if he has never stopped playing the piece. But it’s not only the perfect drumming that blows me away, it’s also the backing vocals that Phil sings. Every ‘Here it comes again’ is rewarded with short applause from the crowd.

By the hard and loud instrumental middle section, Phil and the audience have reached a climax that is hard to describe. As the song increases in drama and tempo and builds up more and more, you can see Phil pounding on his instrument like a little berserker, which is an absolute treat for the eyes and ears with every beat. However, he is either very excited or too cocky, because he has a mishap during the finale. At tempo 210, he loses a drumstick and continues to play with one hand, bending down to pick it up. A masterly performance!

When the song is over, nobody is sitting on their seats. Thunderous cheers and roars break out and you get the feeling that the men on stage are clearly enjoying themselves. Denis commits a ‘breach of contract’ and thanks the guest of honour ‘Phil Collins on drums’ over the microphone and, quite uncharacteristically for the original show, all the performers form a line and grab each other by the shoulders to bow to the audience.

V: We’ve got to get in to get out

Now everything happens very fast. Everyone leaves the stage and we make our way to the stage entrance to be stopped by security. Without a special backstage pass, made two days before, nothing works here. All that remains is a short chat with the guys from the crew about this and that and a text message from banjogirl that nothing can be done. After 15 minutes, a statement from a roadie shattered all expectations and seemed to bring final clarity: Phil has just left the site by car!

VI: I need someone to believe in, someone to trust.

Disappointed on the one hand, but very enthusiastic about what we’ve just experienced, we go with Winfried to the pub around the corner to toast our experience and success. Some of the big family of Genesis-TMB-WIV fans are gathered there. While they are talking, reporting and exchanging stories, banjogirl contacts me again by text message and tells me the unexpected: ‘Phil is about to leave the building!’

As several people had told me 20 minutes earlier that he was already on his way home, I didn’t know whether to believe the message or if it was just a delay. So I called banjogirl and believed what she said. I grab Mario from Zurich and we sprint from the pub to the stage exit, which is right next to the hotel entrance, to meet Phil there……

VII: I’ve been waiting here for so long

The moment I’ve been waiting for for so long is at hand. Having had the honour and good fortune of meeting Steve in London and chatting to Ray on Club Day, and having missed out on both of Phil’s tour gigs in Frankfurt, luck was on my side. I approached Phil and noticed that he was very tired and tense and actually wanted to go home. Nevertheless, I politely asked him to fulfill my great dream and take a photo with me.

And here the true greatness of Phil Collins was revealed once again. Although he was completely out of it and just wanted to be left alone, he granted Mario and me our wish and let us take his picture with him. There was a brief pause as it looked like my digicam had given up the ghost, but the picture is in the can. I still can’t explain how excited I was and I’ll never forget that night. London, here we come……

Author: Alexander Pfaff
potos: Martin Christgau, Bettina Dörr
poto (Header): Video freeze frame

go back to our article where Phil reflects his performance after the show

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Links:

Phil Collins – short interview after the show
Phil about playing with The Musical Box. Statements before and after the show