Rikki Rockett to Perform Entire ‘Look What the Cat Dragged In’ Album With the Rockett Mafia

With 2026 marking the 40th anniversary of Look What the Cat Dragged In, it seemed like the perfect time to go on tour. The timing wasn’t lost on the band as they moved forward with the idea of hitting the road once again. While the idea eventually turned into discussions, the tour came to a halt after Bret Michaels asked for a staggering amount of the profits. But even with no tour happening in 2026, fans of Poison can still celebrate the band’s debut album, as Rikki Rockett announced he would be performing the entire album with The Rockett Mafia.

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While a member of Poison, Rockett joined forces with Brandon Gibbs, Mick Sweda, and Michael Adams to create The Rockett Mafia. Using the band as an outlet to honor and celebrate the music that inspired them, Rockett said, “This band lets me play the kind of rock I grew up loving — loud, raw, and from the heart. We take the music we love and give it new life, and now with Pavement behind us, we’re ready to take it to a whole new level.”  

[RELATED: Poison Scraps Tour After Bret Michaels Seeks Higher Pay Than Bandmates, Drummer Reveals]

Rikki Rockett Focuses On the Love Of Music, Not The Money

Getting the chance to cover songs like “Talk Dirty to Me” and “Cry Tough”, Rockett added how important the moment was. “Playing Poison’s first album with The Rockett Mafia is a full-circle moment for me. It’s raw, it’s fun, and it’s exactly how those songs were meant to be heard. Celebrating the 40th anniversary is really about giving the fans a chance to relive that moment with us.”

Although this might not be the Look What the Cat Dragged In performance many fans wanted, Rockett explained how the original idea of a Poison tour “didn’t work.” And the reason – “What it came to was [guitarist] C.C. [DeVille], [bassist] Bobby [Dall] and I were all in, and I thought Bret was, but he wanted the lion’s share of the money, to the point where it makes it not possible to even do it.”

Not able to come to an agreement, Rockett left the corporate side of the music industry to the suits. No matter the price, he concluded, “I don’t do this just for the money. I do have a love for this, absolutely.” But at the same time – “You don’t want to go out and work really hard just to make somebody else a bunch of money.”

(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)