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The “worst” performance Phil Collins never wanted to play again
Phil Collins reportedly regarded his appearance at Live Aid in 1985 as one of his worst performances, largely because of the exhausting and complicated journey involved. He played both the London and Philadelphia concerts on the same day, attempting to support the global charity event despite limited preparation and logistical difficulties.
After performing at Wembley Stadium with Sting, Collins flew by Concorde to the United States and joined Led Zeppelin for their Philadelphia reunion set. The performance was widely criticised, with technical problems, little rehearsal time and an uncomfortable on-stage dynamic contributing to the band’s poor showing; Collins later indicated that he wished he had not taken part.
In short
- Collins regretted playing Live Aid twice in one day.
- He flew from London to Philadelphia by Concorde.
- Led Zeppelin’s reunion set was widely criticised.
Explained simply
Live Aid was a major international music festival held in 1985 to raise money for famine relief in Africa. The event featured performances from prominent rock and pop artists at two venues: Wembley Stadium in London and a sister concert in Philadelphia, both on the same day.
Phil Collins is a drummer and singer who was prominent in the rock world at that time. He performed at both venues on the same day, starting with a set alongside the singer Sting at Wembley before flying by Concorde to Philadelphia to join the rock band Led Zeppelin for a reunion performance.
The Philadelphia set faced technical problems and received poor critical reception, with the band having little rehearsal time and on-stage tensions compounding the difficulties. Collins later described his participation as one of his worst performances, a view shaped largely by the gruelling logistics of performing at two concerts on opposite sides of the Atlantic.