Why Phil Collins would ‘rather not’ perform at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony

By Andrea Dresdale May 22, 2026 | 12:00 PM

Phil Collins of Genesis performs at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5, 2021 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Phil Collins will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a second time on Nov. 14, but as of now, he doesn’t plan on taking the stage to sing any of his countless hits.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Collins says that even though he is “healthier now than I have been for quite awhile,” he still doesn’t think he’s in good enough shape for the event. “They asked me if I would perform, and I said ‘no,’ y’know, ’cause you’ve got to be match fit to do something like that,” he explains.

“Match fit” is a term usually applied to athletes: It means being in good enough shape to play a game or, as they say in the U.K., a match.

“You can’t just go onstage and — you’re gonna have to rehearse,” he continues. “And then by that point, if you’ve not been singing, your voice is gonna be shot and then that’s not gonna be good. So, I’d rather not do it.”

That doesn’t mean that Collins has given up on the idea of making music or playing live.

“But whether I would go out again, I would contemplate — yeah,” he says. “I mean, I’m constantly saying to myself, ‘I’ve gotta go back down into my studio at home.'”

“I’ve got lots of lyrical ideas that I write down. And there are things that are half-formed and a couple of things that are finished,” he adds. “So, y’know, there’s things that I can get my teeth into to start working on.”

Despite his health struggles, Collins notes, “When I look back, I’ve lived a charmed life. I’ve really enjoyed most of it — 99% of it.”

Collins is already in the Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis.