A couple of months ago Barrett came home excitedly proclaiming he had a surprise for me. He saw a billboard proclaiming “PHIL COLLINS COMING TO PUERTO RICO” and guess who had tickets? A date night! To be honest, I know Phil Collins’s music, but the lyrics came out as homophones rather than actual words. I kind of hum along more than sing. But it was a date nonetheless so I was excited!
Barrett got an email from the concert arena warning us to get there early because the concert was sold out. Really? Phil Collins sold out in Puerto Rico when One Republic couldn’t fill half the arena? I just couldn’t believe it. But we left two hours early anyway and were glad we did when we had to park on the grass because the lot was full already! WHAT!?!?!? It’s Phil Collins! In Puerto Rico! I made a bet with Barrett that we would be the youngest there. I was right. We stood in line waiting for the doors to open and took in the older crowd dressed up in Phil Collins hats, t-shirts or Genesis wares. Even the stadium workers admitted their disbelief in the crowd.
We all poured into the stadium and waited in another line for food as the concert would not begin for another couple of hours. Barrett and I found tacos and made friends with a Pediatrician and her dad at a small standing room only table. They told us that Phil Collins was huge in PR. Huh. We shared stories and then headed up to our seats. Allllllll the way at the top. Our backs were against the cement walls. They were the only seats left when Barrett got the tickets. I never would have guessed!
We suffered through “The Pretenders” (I apologize to her fans, but it was painful) and then the lights went dim as Phil Collins gimped across the stage with a cane. I honestly thought it was a joke! That he was making fun of himself. Um no. He really had to use the cane after a bad back! The entire stadium erupted and can I tell you? I could not hear him sing because everybody knew every note and lyric and vocalized it with all their might. The floor seats never sat down. Phil sang in a chair for the entire concert but nobody cared. His band was amazing and one member even had a Puerto Rican wife so when he was introduced, they pulled the Puerto Rican flag out of his trombone. The crowd went ballistic!!! I honestly spent half of the concert just observing the crowd lost in the music and it made me smile.
These island-timer Puerto Ricans came two hours early to make sure they would not miss this man. They sang boldly with him, bellowing like they were alone in a shower, the entire concert. I have never seen a group so happy. Maria has changed this tiny island. There is a lot more sadness, bitterness, and pain yet Phil Collins made them forget that for a couple of hours. All of us in the back row became friends as we took in the concert and shared Phil Collins memories. There was no talk of when we got power back, where we were during the storm, or how our lives have changed since, we just lived in the simplicity of the moment.
It was a night I won’t forget. The power of one man’s music made stronger by living through an adversity. Phil Collins. In Puerto Rico. Who would’ve thought? Against All Odds (Take A Look at Me Now).