Poison drummer Rikki Rockett recently revealed why the band’s 2026 tour plans were canceled, citing unreasonable financial demands from frontman Bret Michaels in a statement shared on Page Six.
Rockett explained that despite having what he considered a great tour offer, the band ultimately walked away from the deal due to Michaels’ excessive monetary demands.
“We had a great offer [for a tour this year], I thought. But we left the table. It didn’t work,” Rockett said. “Really what it came to was [guitarist] C.C. [DeVille], [bassist] Bobby [Dall] and I were all in, and I thought Bret [Michaels] 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.”
The drummer emphasized that while he has genuine passion for the music, the financial arrangement was simply unworkable for the other band members.
“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,” he continued. “Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life. It’s like hating your parents.”
The canceled tour would have marked Poison’s 40th anniversary, leaving fans disappointed as the band remains at an impasse over financial arrangements.
The scrapped tour was particularly significant as it was designed to celebrate a major milestone in the band’s history. Blabbermouth reported that the tour was set to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Poison’s debut album “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” which was released in 1986 and launched the band to stardom.
The tour concept had been brewing for some time, with Michaels himself initially promoting the idea. Parade noted that Michaels had teased the anniversary tour in a 2024 Facebook post, calling 2026 “the perfect” time for a limited run of 40 shows to “go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world.”
Despite the current setback, Rockett indicated that the door remains open for future collaboration. Brave Words revealed that Rockett added that no bad blood remains between the band members and that a future reunion or postponed tour is still possible.
Meanwhile, Michaels appears to be moving forward with his own plans. Parade confirmed that the frontman recently announced his own “Live & Amplified 2026 Tour” scheduled for early February, suggesting he has other projects in the works despite the Poison tour cancellation.
