Phil Collins felt “like a spare part” with Led Zeppelin at Live Aid
1985’s Live Aid was one of the highlights of the decade, but it wasn’t a perfect affair by any stretch of the imagination. One of the most bizarre performances of the day came courtesy of Led Zeppelin and Phil Collins, two acts representing very different ends of the rock spectrum. The former are hard-rocking heroes who helped music to become more expansive, and Phil Collins is the Genesis frontman, a cerebral prog-rock master who became one of the biggest pop stars of the era.
So, when Phil Collins was enlisted as one of two drummers for the reunion of Led Zeppelin at the charity bonanza alongside Paul Martinez, everyone was excited as it looked to be a masterstroke as Phil Collins’ ability as a musician precedes him. However, for those involved, it was anything but fun, and the trio of fan favourites they played, ‘Rock and Roll’, ‘Whole Lotta Love’, and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ were smattered with difficulties, owing to a litany of issues. However, the most widely criticised aspect was Collins’ drumming.
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2021, Zeppelin axeman Jimmy Page looked back at the occasion and expressed deep regret. He labelled their decision to reunite as “not very clever”, and even took a swipe at Collins, adding, “The drummer couldn’t get the beginning of ‘Rock and Roll’. So we were in real trouble with that.”
Speaking to Classic Rock in 2020, Collins provided his own account of the performance and conceded that he felt like “a spare part”. He noted that a host of issues culminated in it being a disappointment, including no rehearsal, problems with the equipment and frontman Robert Plant losing his voice.
Reflecting just how ad hoc the day was, Collins’ rehearsal came in the form of listening to Led Zeppelin’s tracks on the flight over. He recalled: “I didn’t rehearse when I got there, but I listened to ‘Stairway to Heaven’ on Concorde. I arrived and went to the caravans, and Robert said: ‘Jimmy Page is belligerent.'”
When he arrived, the Genesis man was questioned by Page on how to play their masterpiece ‘Stairway to Heaven’, but his response only caused dismay in the already rattled guitarist: “I sort of… [mimes the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ drum part], and Page says: ‘No, it doesn’t! It doesn’t go like that!’ So I had a word with [co-drummer] Tony Thompson – ’cause I’ve played as two drummers a lot and it can be a train wreck – and I say: ‘Let’s stay out of each other’s way and play simple.'”
He concluded: “Robert [Plant] wasn’t match-fit. And if I could have walked off, I would have done, ’cause I wasn’t needed and I felt like a spare part.”
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