Poison was born in 1983 Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with lead vocalist Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall, drummer Rikki Rockett and lead guitarist Matt Smith. In March of that year, the quartet left behind their Middle Atlantic hometown for the bright lights of Los Angeles. Topping the charts in 1988 with their signature song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Poison released seven albums together. Although the group hasn’t performed together since 2022, Bret Michaels is in the midst of a three-year solo tour that kicked off in 2023. On Sunday (Oct. 26), the “Talk Dirty to Me” crooner, 62, will take the stage during halftime of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hometown matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
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Bret Michaels Is Bringing the Party—And Some Friends
“My friends, I am so excited to be back in Pittsburgh,” Bret Michaels said in a Facebook video announcing his halftime gig. “It’s gonna be nothing but a good time at halftime on NBC Sunday Night football. … We are gonna bring the party.”
However, Michaels won’t take the stage at Acrisure Stadium alone. Despite a limited time slot, the glam metal legend promised to make time to bring military personnel and fans with diabetes onstage to “party” alongside him.
“We’re gonna bring all of our diabetic friends, all of our unbelievable military, active duty, and veterans, as I am a diabetic and son of a veteran, to join me on stage,” Michaels said. “We’re gonna make this special.”
Growing up in nearby Butler, Bret Michaels is a lifelong diehard Steelers fan. “It’s family, it’s a family-built team, it’s where I grew up and it’s what I love,” the rocker said in 2011. “I think of black and gold, football, the fall, tradition, my family – all of us gathered around the TV watching Steelers games when I was a kid. It just brings a really good feeling to my soul.”
The game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Sunday, Oct. 26, on NBC.
Will Poison Ever Tour Again?
Last releasing an album in 2007, Poison hasn’t shared a stage since a 2022 tour with Motley Crue and Def Leppard. And although Bret Michaels previously announced plans to step back from the road for health reasons, he has also hinted at a Poison reunion in 2026. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Look What The Cat Dragged In.
“[So] it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026,” Michaels wrote in a September 2024 Facebook post.
Emphasizing that “nothing is confirmed,” the “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” singer nonetheless sounded hopeful that the band “will continue to rock the world in a 2026 headlining tour.”
Featured image by Joey Foley/Getty Images
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