For fans of Poison, 2026 marked a significant year in the band’s history as it was the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. With such a major milestone, fans anticipated a new tour. That was until drummer Rikki Rockett suggested the tour was not going to happen in 2026. And the reason – the drummer claimed singer Bret Michaels wanted a lion’s share of the profits. Not able to come to an agreement, the tour was shelved. But now, Michaels offered a different take on the tour and exactly what happened.
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Discussing his plans throughout 2026 with the radio station 99.1 WPLR, Michaels admitted the band never made it to payment negotiations. “Well, I’m gonna answer that honestly. It never happened. We never got to that part of the negotiations. What happens — when you start this, they ask me to put together solo numbers and an average, and that’s the first part we turn in.”
According to Rockett, Michaels wanted $6 for every dollar the rest of the band made. While the lead singer, the supposed demands from Michaels caused the tour to come to a screeching halt. But again, he only presented what he made as a solo artist. “What comes up on the table is, what’s people making solo? What are we doing? You throw it out there. And it’s not their fault either. It never finished, the negotiations, on everything. Where’s the tour start? Who’s opening for us? What lights, what sound, what’s the stage look like?”
[RELATED: Bret Michaels Reacts to Rikki Rockett’s Comments on Cancelled Poison Tour]
Bret Michaels Calls On Poison To “Work It Out”
With several details surrounding the potential tour needing to be finalized, Michaels promised, “I’m positive we can make it happen in 2027.” While the 40th anniversary of their debut album would have passed by that time – he said, “We’re just gonna call it hopefully ‘40 Plus One.’”
As for his current relationship with Rockett and the rest of Poison, Michaels insisted, “We’re all friends. And if you wanna discuss something, we have each other’s phone number for the last 45 years. Just call me. No offense. I love Rikki.”
With Michaels only wishing Rockett would have kept the negotiation away from the headlines, he concluded, “Just call me on the phone, and we’ll work out what[ever needs to be worked out]. We’ve worked it out for 40 other years. Let’s work out what we need to work out.”
Whether or not the “40 Plus One” tour becomes a reality, Michaels made it clear he still believes Poison can find common ground with a simple phone call.
(Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
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