After all his years on the road, Gavin Rossdale still appreciates every bit of love he gets from fans over his band, Bush.
“There [was once] a sweet homeless guy and I walked past him and he goes, ‘Are you [Gavin Rossdale]?’ He was shouting my name all the way up the street,” Rossdale, 58, exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “It’s really fun to see the effect [the band has] on people.”
Rossdale helped found the rock band in 1992 alongside Nigel Pulsford, Dave Parsons and Robin Goodridge. The group parted ways in 2002 before eventually reuniting in 2010. They have since released five all-new albums and a Loaded LP of their greatest hits. Bush is currently on their Loaded: The Greatest Hits tour.
“There’s a certain amount of joy when I sing ‘Come Down’ because I close the show with it,” Rossdale says.
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Before Rossdale can rock the stage, he has a certain pre-show regimen to follow.
“I warm up on a small trampoline, which balances your vestibular system and brain,” the rocker tells Us. “In arenas, they have big, team showers, so I [do vocal] warm-ups in there. I’ll also have a nice, cold Sapporo.”
Rossdale’s routine takes place in a lowly lit room, so he can get into the zone.
“I like it really dim, so low-lit candles,” he says of his dressing room must-haves. “[I have] a range of drinks [stocked] so people can come in and have a drink. There’s different snacks, but I don’t pay attention to the riders: If you put M&M’s on your rider, you’ll eat M&Ms for months.”
After the show, Rossdale brightens it up at the afterparty, telling Us his ideal celebration features “people that I love” as well as “good lighting and great hip-hop.”
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Rossdale’s inner circle includes his children — he shares sons Kingston, 18, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, 10, with ex-wife Gwen Stefani, as well as older daughter Daisy, 35, with ex Pearl Lowe — who often joins him on the road.
“[Tour and my kids are] the two best things in my life,” Rossdale previously told Us in May. “So when I can combine them, I can sing and do my thing and have people applaud me. I get the applause from out there [on stage] from people and I come back and I’m just with them.”
For more on Rossdale’s tour life, watch the video above and pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.