The band will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026
The next time fans see Poison live may be for the band’s 40th anniversary in 2026. It was expected the group would reconvene on stage in 2025, but drummer Rikki Rockett says those plans have changed.
“I keep getting asked multiple times a day, ‘Why isn’t Poison touring in 2025 now?’ Super simple answer, Bret [Michaels] doesn’t want to,” Rockett shared on Facebook this week.
In a follow-up post earlier today (Wed, Sept 11th), he addressed clickbait headlines, stating the tour was never booked.
“People, I never said that Bret is canceling the 2025 tour. It didn’t get booked. I said the reason Poison isn’t touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn’t want to. Doesn’t matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I’m simply telling you why so that CC, Bobby or myself doesn’t get blamed. It isn’t dirt. It isn’t a fight. Just the facts, ma’am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!” he states.
He adds, “Sorry, but tired of the, ‘CC must be back on the sauce’ crap. It’s not true at all.”
Earlier this year in a Q&A on the Rock Legends Cruise XI, Michaels stated the 80s rockers would likely return to the stage next year.
“When we go back, I think in 2025, it’s always been, to me, all-original Poison,” he said. “We’ll have C.C [DeVille, guitar] and Bobby [Dall, bass] and Rikki and myself and go do another big stadium tour and arena tour in 2025.”
Those are sentiments he echoed from an August 2022 interview with TV and radio personality Eddie Trunk.
“In ’25 is probably when Poison will put a humungous world tour together and go back and be incredible,” he stated following the success of The Stadium Tour with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard and Joan Jett after a two year delay due to the pandemic. “My Parti Gras, this entire amphitheater thing we’re doing and festivals — as soon as we knew we were doing The Stadium Tour, we moved that to ’23, and we got to do The Stadium Tour which is incredible and the Poison standalone shows.”
However, in March, Michaels stated due to some medical setbacks, he plans to take most of 2025 off, except for a few performance dates.
“[I]n 2025, in light of some recent medical results and setbacks, and with much discussion and real advice from my doctors and family, I will be taking most, if not all, of 2025 off, except for a few select dates with both the Bret Michaels Band and possibly all original Poison,” he stated. “I truly need to recharge the batteries and get a good, much-needed physical tuneup. Please always understand that I am forever grateful to the fans and hope you understand that this will bring me back in 2026 and beyond to be able to always give one thousand percent on that stage with positive energy and an unbroken warrior spirit!”
Michaels has also toured with his solo band for two decades, playing a mix of Poison hits and solo songs. Pete Evick, music director and guitarist of the Bret Michaels Band, released a lengthy social media statement, clarifying rumors.
“I’ve stood on stage with him every night and he has never said 2025. He has consistently says 2026, it’s their 40th anniversary and he, along with some of the management team are actively planning the 2026 tour right now,” Evick shares.
He continues, “Second, he DOES have some serious health issues that MUST be addressed and taken care of. In fact, I’ve urged him to cancel the rest of this year to do so!”
Evick also addressed comments fans have made about Michaels’ decision being about the money.
“Poison’s publishing is split four ways. They all get an equal cut when it comes to the catalog, my point. Not one of those four guys have to do this, the money ‘Every Rose [Has Its Thorn]’ has made alone should have set their kids’ kids up. If for some reason any member of that band needs to tour, well…. They are the worst money managers in the world,” he states. “Next, the comment about Bret having to split the touring money equally with Poison versus taking a bigger cut with the solo band is not true, and unfortunately while we all have fantasies of brothers in bands splitting it equally, it’s just not reality. Bret makes a certain amount of money himself both in Poison and the solo band that is irrelevant to any guarantees or what any member of either band gets. It is not an equal split in Poison or the solo band.”
In 2023, Michaels curated the 2023 Parti Gras Tour which featured a rotating lineup of musicians, including members of Night Ranger, Jefferson Starship, former Journey vocalist Steve Augeri, and Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath. He expanded the trek this year with Pardi-Gras 2.0 featuring Chris Janson, Don Felder, Dee Snider, and original Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm.
Michaels has also previously stated that he’d love to see Poison record a new song, something they were initially planning to coincide with a 2020 tour.
