"You’re talking to Rod Stewart here, mate. We go mad after every show."
As Rod Stewart is preparing to celebrate a milestone birthday in January and wrap his final Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace after more than a decade, the 79-year-old is fully focused on making the most out of his remaining years on earth. In a new interview, the father of eight said that he plans to live it up and party well into his 90s.
"I’m aware my days are numbered but I’ve got no fear," Stewart told The Sun from his Los Angeles home, in an interview published on July 26. "We have all got to pass on at some point, so we are all in the same basket. I am going to be enjoying myself for these last few years as much as I can. I say few—probably another 15. I can do that easy mate, easy."
But while the "Maggie May" singer may not be able to party like he did at the height of his fame, he still knows how to knock a few back and have a good time.
"I’m not like I was in the ’70s and ’80s and I can’t stay up all night, get drunk and go mad and still have a voice just like that," Stewart explained. "Nowadays I have to protect my voice before and after every show. The older you get, the more you have to do that. Water has a hell of a lot to do with it."
"But no, you think I just have water on my rider? You’re talking to Rod Stewart here, mate. We go mad after every show," he continued. "There are 13 of us, six women, really great musicians, and I make them drink. We absolutely love it."
As far as what Stewart imbibes, he told the publication that before the show, he'll have a "quick Bacardi," which he convinces himself is good for his voice. "After a show we all get stuck into the martinis," he said. "Most bands all go home and go to bed but we don’t. We have a big old party."
But even though he may still know how to have a good time, Stewart is still cognizant about his health and staying fit; particularly as a survivor of both prostate and thyroid cancer. "I am more aware of my health now than before," he admitted later in the interview. "You should be when you start getting on a bit. It’s very important."
"I keep myself very, very fit. I have had the same trainer for 31 years," Stewart continued. "We work out three or four times a week."
To keep himself on his toes, Stewart is currently in the process of constructing a running track at his home in England so he can attempt to break the world record for the fastest 100-meter sprint run by a 79-year-old. "I’m f--king mad, ain’t I?" he added. "I do enjoy keeping myself fit. Sometimes you don’t want to do it but you’ve got to."
