Phil Collins: Band line-up for "Not Dead Yet - Live" complete

Three new band members and one to return after 27 years

The band Phil Collins will return with to the big touring stages next summer is now finally complete. In the past couple of days and weeks we've got constantly more informations regarding the line-up. Now it seems like the puzzle is finished.

As expected long-time band members Daryl Stuermer (guitar), Leland Sklar (bass), Brad Cole (keyboards), Luis Conte (percussions) und Ronnie Caryl (rhythm guitar) will again join Phil on the road.

Same as on the recent showcase concerts for the Little Dreams Foundation and at the US Open, Chester Thompson, who apart from Genesis drummed on Phil's solo tours for decades, will be replaced by Phil's second youngest son Nicholas Collins, who will be 16 years old when the tour kicks off. (The photo on the right shows Nicholas then aged four at the first Glasgow concert in November 2005 holding his father's hand.)

Rather surprising replacements have been announced for both the backing vocalists and the horn section, which again will most likely appear under the name Vine Street Horns.

As usual, vocal support for Phil Collins will be provided by Amy Keys and Arnold McCuller. The latter will only attend the indoor shows. After these dates Arnold already had other commitments before the two additional outdoor shows were announced. Those prevent him from singing in Dublin and London's Hyde Park. At these concerts he will be substituted by Bill Cantos, who was part of the backing vocal group on both the First Final Farewell Tour and the Going Back concerts. Third member of the vocal quartet will be Lamont van Hook, who is equally long in band as Bill Cantos. The quartet is completed by a singer who returns to the Phil Collins band after an absence of 27 years: Bridgette Bryant, who already sang on the Serious Tour in 1990, but was replaced by Amy Keys afterwards. With a total of "only" four backing vocalists, this part of the band shrinks compared to the First Final Farewell Tour and the Going Back shows, on both of which six singers each helped Phil out with the singing.

As hinted above, new recruitments have also happened for the horn section. Harry Kim und Dan Fornero (both on trumpet) are still part of the Vine Street Horns. On saxophone Gerald Albright will be replaced by new band member George Shelby and on trombone Phil Collins will have Costa Rican Luis Diego Bonilla, who will stand in for Arturo Velasco. Velasco has been touring with Phil ever since 1994. The reasons for the replacements remain unknown, but it is not unlikely that this move shall provide a breeze of fresh air in the band.

At the moment it seems that the band line-up for the summer is now complete. Changes and/or additions can surely still happen.

The tour kicks off on 4th June 2017 in London's Royal Albert Hall. Regarding the new band members we can especially be excited about how Nicholas Collins will fit in his role. The other newbies are all very experienced in their profession.