Bret Michaels expressed his desire for a Poison 40th-anniversary tour in 2026 following days of back-and-forth between the singer’s various bandmates about their 2025 plans — or lack thereof.
“It’s no secret, I have stated previously that in 2025 I’m planning to perform limited shows to focus primarily on health, starting with my diabetes, which needs a tune-up,” Michaels wrote on Facebook, “not to mention a little R&R, as everyone knows my tireless work ethic and passion for performing music, as well as some much-needed personal family time. Like I recently stated, I’m like a classic muscle car — still fast and still fun to drive, just need a little more maintenance lol.
“However, in 2026, I’m excited to say it will be Poison’s 40th anniversary since the release of Look What the Cat Dragged In in 1986, so it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026,” Michaels continued. “In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th anniversary tour, with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs and rock the world.” The singer noted the band’s 2018 headlining tour and 2022 stadium jaunt with Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Joan Jett and Classless Act and said that “now, four years after that, Poison hopefully will continue to rock the world in a 2026 headlining tour.”
Michaels emphasized that “although none of this is confirmed and it takes much coordination and planning to have a successful tour, good things happen in 4’s for Poison — 4 original band members, 40th anniversary, 40 limited dates, Parti-Gras 4.0 and May the 4’s be with you!”
READ MORE: How Poison’s ‘Look What the Cat Dragged In’ Helped Define Hair Metal
How Did the Bret Michaels and Poison Tour Drama Start?
Michaels himself stoked anticipation for a 2025 Poison tour during a February Q&A session aboard the Rock Legends Cruise XI, where he reportedly said (via Blabbermouth): “When we go back, I think in 2025, it’s always been, to me, all-original Poison. We’ll have C.C [DeVille, guitar] and Bobby [Dall, bass] and Rikki [Rockett, drums] and myself and go do another big stadium tour and arena tour in 2025.”
This week, however, Rockett squashed the possibility for a 2025 Poison tour. The drummer wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post, “I keep getting asked multiple times a day, ‘Why isn’t Poison touring in 2025 now?’ Super simple answer: Bret doesn’t want to.”
This predictably ignited the classic rock online fandom, prompting Rockett to issue a follow-up statement: “People, I never said that Bret is cancelling 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!”
Rockett’s post also inspired a lengthy Facebook response from Michaels’ solo guitarist and musical director Pete Evick. “First and foremost, I wonder, instead of making all these crazy assumptions, does anyone maybe wanna know WHY Bret doesn’t wanna tour with Poison next year?” Evick wrote. “I’ve stood onstage with him every night and he has never said 2025. He has consistently [said] 2026. It’s [their] 40th anniversary and he, along with some of the management team, are actively planning the 2026 tour right now. 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!”
With his new statement, Michaels appears to have clarified the aforementioned “serious health issues” and doubled down on the idea of a 40th-anniversary Poison tour. “To all the incredible fans, thank you for continuing to rock the world not only with the Bret Michaels Parti-Gras currently touring but also with Poison,” he concluded his post. “I appreciate you letting me take a minute to clear any confusion. Stay tuned and have an awesome day!”
