While fans of Poison hoped for a new tour in 2026, they received something entirely different when drummer Rikki Rockett and frontman Bret Michaels collided in a contract dispute. The idea of Poison going on tour in the new year seemed like perfect timing as it marked the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. But those plans were derailed when Rockkett claimed Michaels wanted a lion’s share of the profits. With Michaels fighting back against the rumors, Rockett decided to clear the air by simply calling the singer.
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Since it was announced that Poison would not tour in 2026, rumors swirled as to what exactly happened. For Rockett, he thought the tour was canceled over contract negotiations. But according to Michaels, the discussion never even made it to that point. From his view, he believed the tour was moved to 2027 as many of the members already had their 2026 schedule finalized.
Not upset over the claims hurled at him, Michaels only wished that Rockett would call him. Not wanting the supposed disagreement to play out in headlines, the drummer followed his advice. Rockett told Eddie Trunk that he “texted” Michaels. “The reason I said what I said is because… All the information I had was the truth, from my standpoint. And a lot of people, they start assuming things.”
[RELATED: Bret Michaels Answers Poison’s Pay Dispute Allegations “Honestly”]
Will There Be A Poison Tour In 2026?
What exactly were fans saying about Poison – “I was seeing stuff on social media: ‘Oh, Rikki has cancer again.’ Or ‘C.C.’s [DeVille, POISON guitarist] off the wagon again’ or all these different things. ‘Those guys don’t really wanna work’ and ‘Bret wants to work’.”
With rumors circling Poison, Rockett didn’t want fans to get the wrong idea. That’s when he broke his silence. “None of those things are true. We do wanna work, all of us do wanna work. C.C.’s sober. I don’t have cancer. None of those things are true.”
Although only wanting to keep fans informed about the current status of Poison, Rockett knew that Michaels was right. “But Bret’s right. We didn’t sit down at a negotiating table, really. It never did get that far. It got kiboshed at the very beginning. But I just wanted to put a sensible reason to it so that everybody understands that it wasn’t Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist], C.C. or me…”
Finding common ground once again, the future of a Poison tour remained in limbo for now. But when asked, Rockett insisted, “I do think that we’re gonna do something in ‘27.”
(Photo by Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)
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