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Daniel Boczarski/Getty ImagesAs R. Kelly approaches his 50th birthday, “The Pied Piper” says he’s discovered the fountain of youth.
“I’m the Benjamin Button of 50,” Kelly tells The Charlotte Observer, referring to the Brad Pitt movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in which the title character becomes younger with time. Kelly turns 50 on January 8, 2017
“I’m not your average 50. I’m not your average guy at all, really, to tell you the truth,” he says. “I know how to turn back the hands of time. I work out a lot. I’m in the best shape of my life. I feel good, and that’s the way it’s gonna be until it’s out of my hands.”
Kelly is now performing on his 2016 The Buffet concert tour, and he regrets he was forced to postpone seven shows due to production problems.
“I’m such a perfectionist,” he says, “and we rehearsed so hard, but I don’t care who you are, you’re not gonna be able to have a perfect show the first two, three nights.”
Kelly plans his concerts to be one hour and 45 minutes, however on the first night of the tour, he was having so much fun on stage, he lost track of time.
“I went backstage,” he remembers, “and asked my wardrobe [person], ‘How long have I been out on stage?’ She told me, ‘Almost three hours.’ And I had like 18 more songs to go! Eighteen more hits to go! But I had to cut it off. The next night it got shorter, and then the third night, in Chicago, I broke it all the way down to about 2 hours and 25 minutes. That’s the best I can do.”
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