In the coming weeks and months, fans of the rock band Poison were hoping to have something major to be excited about. The iconic hair metal group seemed to be poised to go on what was going to be their 40th anniversary tour. Those plans, which were never officially announced, now seem to have been scrapped because one member allegedly made a financial demand that derailed them.
Poison’s 40th Anniversary Tour Reportedly Got Called Off Due to Bret Michaels’ Alleged Major Money Demand
On January 18, 2026, Page Six published an article after exclusively speaking to Poison’s longtime drummer. During his discussion with the outlet, Rikki Rockett stated that he, C.C. DeVille, and Bobby Dall were ready to go on tour until Bret Michaels allegedly demanded to be paid six times as much as his bandmates.
“Really, what it came to was C.C., Bobby, 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. 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.”
Before this turn of events took place, fans had been teased with potential plans to see Michaels, 62, DeVille, 63, Rockett, 64, and Dall, 62, travel the world and play music together again. After the band released their first album, “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” on May 23, 1986, Michaels first suggested a Poison 40th Anniversary tour could happen on Facebook in September 2024. “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. 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.”
Even though Michaels was the first to hint at the prospect, it seems like he could be left out, at least according to Rockett. While speaking to Page Six in 2026, Rockett expressed openness to a possible Poison 40th anniversary tour without Michaels, while clarifying that isn’t what he wants to happen. “It’s not out of the question. But doing that is like surgery: it’s the last resort. 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.”
Poison Has a Long History of Fighting Behind the Scenes
Battles among Poison members have been known about for decades now. In fact, Biography’s article detailing Bret Michaels’ life refers to his infamous altercation with C.C. DeVille behind-the-scenes at the 1991 MTV Music Video Awards. Another memorable moment from the group’s sometimes tumultuous history came in 2006 when Michaels and Bobby Dall reportedly got into a heated argument onstage. According to an August 2021 Blabbermouth article, a fan who witnessed the incident wrote on a website called Metal Sludge that as the disagreement continued, “Bobby slings his bass at Bret. Rikki and the roadies had to come in and separate them.”
While those incidents have received a lot of attention, it is important to note that Poison reunited after them and have come together over and over again. Music history shows that band members having disagreements is extremely common, and bad blood can be put aside over time.
