Bret Michaels has confirmed that Poison’s reunion tour is moving forward, for a future date. He addressed recent speculation about the band’s plans in a statement shared on 99.1 WPLR.
The frontman explained the tour’s timeline and addressed claims about financial disputes affecting the 2026 plans.
“We’re just gonna call it hopefully ’40 Plus One’. But I can tell you this — as this thing got further down the road… Remember, when you’re booking stuff, we’re already booking stuff solo into ’27. So this just got backed up. And I’m hoping that, as a founding member, obviously that would be a great day, and I’m positive we can make that happen in ’27,” Michaels said.
Michaels also responded directly to drummer Rikki Rockett’s previous claims about the 2026 tour cancellation.
“Well, I’m gonna answer that honestly. It never happened. We never got to that part of negotiations. What happens — when you start this, they ask me to put together solo numbers and an average, and that’s the first part we turn in. We ask what the stage is gonna look like, where do we start the tour? I even got into where we’re starting the dates, and then all of a sudden, ’26, the shows in ’26 wanted solo answers, so we moved this to ’27 back last summer,” he explained.
“The reason it’s come up for the third time — no one, even the other members haven’t commented. They’re, like, ‘I thought this is going in ’27 now,'” Michaels continued.
The tour would commemorate the 41st anniversary of the band’s 1986 debut album ‘Look What the Cat Dragged In’.
The dispute between band members has created significant uncertainty around the reunion plans. Conflicting accounts have emerged about what actually transpired during negotiations.
Blabbermouth reported that Rikki Rockett had previously claimed that Michaels demanded six times the pay of his bandmates. This led to the cancellation of the originally planned 2026 tour. This allegation sparked considerable controversy among fans who had been eagerly anticipating the band’s return to celebrate the milestone anniversary of their breakthrough album.
The timing of the proposed reunion holds special significance for the band and their fanbase. Antimusic noted that Poison fans were hoping the band would reunite this year to launch a tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of their debut album. The album established them as major players in the glam metal scene of the 1980s.
The band’s debut album “Look What the Cat Dragged In” was a commercial breakthrough that spawned several hit singles. It helped define the sound of 1980s rock music. Metal Injection revealed that the long-rumored 2026 tour plans celebrating this anniversary have reportedly been scrapped. This leaves fans uncertain about when they might see the classic lineup perform together again.
Despite the setbacks and public disagreements, Michaels remains optimistic about the possibility of a 2027 reunion tour. His comments suggest that while the original timeline has been disrupted, the fundamental desire to reunite the band for their fans remains intact. Logistical and financial considerations continue to complicate the planning process.
