Alright, let’s set the stage. It’s New Year’s Day, 1977, and Genesis is about to kick off a three-night stand at London’s Rainbow Theatre. The band is in a transitional phase—Peter Gabriel has departed, and Phil Collins has stepped up as frontman. To fill the drumming void, they’ve brought in Chester Thompson, a seasoned drummer with stints alongside Frank Zappa and Weather Report. Despite his impressive résumé, Chester had minimal time to rehearse with Genesis before this high-profile gig.
The first night didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. Speaking to UCR Podcast, Chester himself admitted it was “pretty rough,” attributing it to nerves and the sheer volume of material to master. Unfortunately, a prominent rock critic was in attendance that night and published a scathing review, focusing his ire on Chester’s performance. He said:
“The third night was very rewarding to listen to. The first night, because I’m probably my worst critic, it was not good. I can’t remember which guy, but one of the big rock critics over there…Man, I mean, he just shredded me to no end on that first show.”
Fast forward to the band’s first show in Los Angeles, about a year later. Phil Collins hadn’t forgotten that harsh critique. Spotting the same critic in the audience, Phil approached him, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded he apologize to Chester. This incident was recounted by Chester Thompson himself in an interview, highlighting Phil’s loyalty and protective nature towards his bandmates.
As Thompson described, Collins remembered the review:
“He gave me just a horrendous review, so bad to the point that the first time we played L.A., maybe a year later, Phil grabbed the guy by the collar and made him apologize to me.”
