Lily and Nic Collins pay tribute to their father Phil following Genesis' final show

On Saturday night – 55 years after they were first formed at Charterhouse School in Surrey – Genesis played their last-ever show.

The gig at London's O2 Arena brought their The Last Domino? Tour to an emotional close.

Addressing the crowd, Phil Collins described it as "a very special night."

“It’s the last stop of our tour, and it’s the last show for Genesis," he continued. "After tonight we’ve all got to get real jobs!”

Last year, Collins told BBC that he could "barely hold a [drum] stick", due to deteriorating health issues. His 20-year-old son, Nic Collins, joined Genesis as the drummer for the final tour.

Phil Collins' daughter, actress Lily Collins, was in attendance at the final gig, and shared an emotional post on Instagram yesterday, describing it as "the end of an era."

"To have witnessed this last show was truly the memory of a lifetime and an event I shall hold in my heart forever," she wrote. "Endlessly grateful doesn’t begin to do it justice. So much love was left on that O2 stage and an even bigger amount shared between an audience who didn’t want it to end."

She went on to thank Genesis "for the memories," as well as her father "for being such an inspiration." She also thanked Nic Collins, for making her "the proudest sister there is."

"50 years of songs later and still generations more to celebrate you long after this tour has finished," she concluded.

 

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A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins)

Nic also shared a post of his own, describing the time he spent playing with the band as "an honour."

"Being part of their last lap around the track has been moving and amazing," he resumed. "50+ years of music, friendship, and memories, @genesis_band thank you for letting me be part of the last few. And with that also comes the end of my old man’s time on stage. Thank you for the endless inspiration, drive, and love. To have shared this with you has been truly wonderful."

With around 150 million albums sold worldwide, Genesis are one of the world's best-selling bands. Over the course of their remarkable career – including 15 studio albums – they've been presented with numerous awards, including a Grammy. In 2010, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Peter Gabriel, the band's original frontman, was also in attendance at the final gig.

From tonight’s final #Genesis show in London (from left): #PeterGabriel, #PhilCollins, and Richard McPhail (long time friend and tour manager in the ‘70s). If you’ve not read Richard’s book on Genesis, you should. @genesis_band @itspetergabriel @PhilCollinsFeed pic.twitter.com/Zsmo0WMGr1

— World of Genesis (@WorldofGenesis) March 27, 2022

Last year, Phil Collins' son Simon spoke to Hot Press about the influence of Genesis on his own life and music.

"I grew up on tour with Genesis, so I had a very early introduction to progressive rock," he said. "I knew what I wanted to do by the time I was 10. I knew I wanted to keep doing music.

"Genesis had a deep impact on my life," he added. "Growing up around such amazing musicians, and such kind and lovely people, definitely got me in the mood for prog. When I was eight years old, my dad bought me a drum kit for my birthday. And that was the beginning of it all. He started throwing me albums to play to – Pink Floyd, Yes, and bands like that. The earliest part of my musical education was progressive rock. I was learning how to play all those difficult time signatures. Even if I didn’t know how to count them, or know specifically what they were, I knew how to play by ear. Prog rock is definitely at the root of most of my music."