Exclusive | Poison’s 40th anniversary tour nixed after Bret Michaels demands 600% more money than bandmates
Every rose has its thorn. And every band has its party pooper.
Poison is one of the very few classic rock bands to have made it four decades with its original lineup.
But Page Six has learned that the band has shelved its much anticipated 40th anniversary tour — because lead singer Bret Michaels wants to earn $6 for every dollar his bandmates earn from the dates.
Poison hoped to tour this year to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary. Getty Images for SiriusXM
But they couldn’t come to an agreement with lead singer Bret Michaels. Getty Images
The band even began promoting the tour online, with guitarist C.C. DeVille posting over the summer, “Poison tour 2026. Are you ready?”
“We had a great offer, I thought. But we left the table,” drummer Rikki Rockett told us, “It didn’t work.”
“Really what it came to was C.C., [bass player] 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. It’s like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can’t work that way.”
He added, “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.”
The band’s drummer, Rikki Rockett, says that Michaels demanded 600% of what the other members would be paid for the shows. Getty Images
The band formed in Pennsylvania in the early 1980s and had a surprise hit with its first album, “Look What The Cat Dragged In,” and another smash with follow-up “Open Up and Say… Ahhh!,” which produced No. 1 single “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”
Michaels has been busy with his solo act, and he’s also had a prolific reality TV career. Among many appearances, he won the “Celebrity Apprentice,” and had his own VH1 dating show, “Rock of Love,” which ran for three seasons.
Rockett says he’s not angry with his pal of many years.
Rockett plans to celebrate the anniversary by performing with his own band, Rocket Mafia. WireImage
“Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life,” he said, “It’s like hating your parents.”
To celebrate the anniversary, Rockett plans to tour with his side band, Rockett Mafia, and perform the whole “Look What The Cat Dragged In” album at each show.
And he’s hopeful that Poison can iron out their money issue by next year.
He joked that it that it would be “a perfect Poison folly to do a 41st anniversary tour.”
Rockett says he’s not angry with Michaels or “quarreling” with him. Redferns
But when asked if he’d consider finding a replacement for Michaels and doing the tour with a new singer, he said, “It’s not out of the question. But doing that is like surgery: it’s the last resort.”
He added, “I don’t want to do that. I’m not quarreling with Bret… We just didn’t come to agreement. I don’t like it, and I’ll say that, but it’s not like, ‘Let’s put up our dukes.’ I don’t think there’s a better frontman for Poison.”
Rockett is set to be inducted into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame next week, and he plans to have a memoir, “Ghost Notes,” out early this year.
Reps for Michaels didn’t get back to us.
