Why Phil Collins almost walked out on Led Zeppelin
Anyone looking to improve their chops behind the drumkit can take a few cues from Phil Collins. Throughout his work with Genesis and creating one of the greatest drum fills of all time on ‘In the Air Tonight’, Collins has been known to take the most complex musical passages and make them digestible for a pop audience. Although Collins may have been able to prove his chops even further among rock giants, he did have some reservations when backing up this iconic band.
Granted, Collins never let his nerves get the better of him. Throughout his time working with artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, the musician was known to be one of the most collaborative people in the studio, often trying to find his place that would make the song better rather than trying to grandstand at every turn.
While Collins pulled from various influences in the early days, no one stood out for him quite like John Bonham. From the minute Led Zeppelin began Bonham’s presence behind the kit was unlike anything the rock world had ever seen, almost like he was being unleashed like a feral animal out into the wild whenever he had sticks in his hand.
That kind of muscle and power is evident in Collins’s drumming as well. While there are many more drum fills sprinkled throughout Genesis’s work, Collins’s knowledge of groove and swing made him lay into the backbeat even when incorporating different changing time signatures, hitting the skins like they owed him money.
At the height of Collins’ career as a solo artist, he got the opportunity of a lifetime when performing with Led Zeppelin at Live Aid. Being one of the most significant charity efforts in music history, the former Genesis man would have the opportunity to reunite onstage with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin and play all of Bonham’s sections live.
Although this kind of performance would be a dream come true for any aspiring drummer, Collins said he almost walked out on the performance altogether. While he loved the idea of working alongside some of his musical heroes, his issues stemmed from what happened when he was playing with Jimmy Page.
Even though Page had been known as one of the greatest guitarists in the world, Collins remembered being treated poorly by Page. This resulted in Collins almost not participating, saying, “It wasn’t amazing to be there; I have to say. They weren’t very good. And I was made to feel a little uncomfortable by the dribbling Jimmy Page. If I could have walked off, I would have — but then we’d be talking about why Phil Collins walked off from Led Zeppelin. So I just stayed there and bit my tongue.”
Page wasn’t finished after the reunion show was over. When the band were called out for not playing at their best, the guitarist would blame Collins, implying that he wasn’t suited to take on Bonham’s parts.
Then again, it wasn’t like Collins wasn’t busy that day. Throughout the live broadcast, the drummer would pull double duty, playing the British and American portions of the broadcast within hours of each other. Even though Collins may have remained professional and finished them off, the hand he was given when working with Page is a classic example of not meeting one’s heroes.
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