Watch Phil Collins and The Roots conquer 'In the Air Tonight' on The Tonight Show

Phil Collins and The Roots do "In the Air Tonight"
(Image credit: The Tonight Show)

Phil Collins officially un-retired last year, and proved it with a return to the stage in August, with a two-song set to kick off the U.S. Open. He is promoting a new memoir, Not Dead Yet, going on tour next summer, and on Tuesday's Tonight Show, he played one of his darkest and arguably his best song, "In the Air Tonight," from his 1981 album, Face Value. Due to nerve damage, Collins can't play the drums himself anymore — his son Nicholas will play on tour — but Jimmy Fallon's house band The Roots backed Collins on Tuesday's show. Collins and his voice have both aged a bit in the 35 years since he first released the song, but the drum fill at the 3:25 mark — Questlove's dramatic entry in the song — is as good as ever, and there are a few tasteful new additions to the instrumentation. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.