Poison has abandoned plans for a 2026 tour, which would have marked the band's 40th anniversary, after lead singer Bret Michaels reportedly demanded to be paid six times more than the other members.
Although the tour was never officially announced, the glam metal icons were interested in a reunion . In 2024, Bret Michaels expressed his desire for a tour via a Facebook post , saying he was “excited to say it will be Poison’s 40th anniversary since the release of Look What the Cat Dragged In in 1986.” He also said that “it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026.”
"In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th anniversary tour, with 40 incredible and limited dates to tour, play our greatest hits live and rock the world," he concluded.
Bret Michaels made touring impossible
The idea appears to have been abandoned, according to drummer Rikki Rockett. In an interview with Page Six , Rikki said there was an attractive offer on the table, but negotiations fell through because Michaels wanted "most of the money," making it impossible to proceed with the project.
“Actually, what happened was that CC [ DeVille, guitarist], Bobby [ Dall, bassist] and I were all in, and I thought Bret was too, but he wanted most of the money, to the point of making it impossible. It's like it was 6 dollars for every dollar we had. You just can't work like that,” Rikki explained.
Rikki stated that, despite the disappointment, he holds no grudges and acknowledges the role his teammates played in his career.
“I don’t do this just for the money. I love it, for sure. But at the same time, you don’t want to push yourself to the limit just to enrich someone else. Each member of this band has given me so many privileges in life. It’s like hating your own parents,” he said.
With the impasse, Michaels will continue with solo shows and Rockett will tour with his side project, Rockett Mafia , but he offered his opinion on whether Poison will reunite with another vocalist.
“It’s not ruled out. But doing it is like surgery: it’s a last resort. I don’t want to do it. I’m not fighting with Bret… We simply haven’t reached an agreement. I don’t like it, and I’ll say that, but it’s not like it’s a fight. I don’t think there’s a better vocalist for Poison,” he stated.
READ ALSO: Former Europe guitarist regrets not suing Poison for plagiarism
