Billy Idol reveals how his approach to performing has changed over years

Billy Idol has opened up about what has changed about his live performances through years.

Speaking with People Magazine, the singer, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 American Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 25, said, "I don't go on stage high or anything like that."

Idol added, "There was a time when I used to go on stage a little high, or I would drink a massive glass of a screwdriver halfway through."

Now, Idol admits his mindset before stepping on stage is completely different. "Nowadays… I go on completely normal and completely straight, and I think that's the way to do it because the music itself is a high."

"You can get that anytime you play. That is the high," he added.

Furthermore, Billy Idol noted that people in his surrounding are also mostly sober. "I can have a glass of wine every now and again. I don't have to do nothing. But at the same time, I'm not the drug addict that I was in the peak '70s, '80s," he said.

The 2026 American Music Awards were hosted by Queen Latifah. Meanwhile, actor and singer Leon Thomas presented Idol with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades-long impact on rock music and pop culture.

Accepting his award, Idol said, "When I started out in punk rock, back in 1976, we thought it may only last about six months, let alone 50 years. But we were doing it for the love and because music was the only thing that gave us a sort of feeling of freedom, a sense of freedom."

"We believed in what we were doing, and we thought maybe if we just dreamed into this life and gave it everything we had, it would give it all back to us in spades. And that's exactly what happened," he added in his acceptance speech.