Poison drummer Rikki Rockett recently addressed the band’s potential reunion plans. He also discussed whether he regrets speaking publicly about the drama that held up their tour, sharing his thoughts in an interview with the Beardo & Weirdo Podcast.
Rockett was first asked whether he grows tired of constant questions about a possible Poison reunion tour.
Question: “Does it bother you when people ask about, ‘Hey, when are you guys going to put it back together and go on tour again?’ Did you get tired of those questions?”
“Yes, because I don’t have an answer,” Rockett said. “But hopefully 2027 is the real answer. Hopefully that’ll work out and um you know and we’ll do it. But yes, it’s just frustrating because I don’t know.”
The conversation then turned to Rockett’s earlier decision to speak candidly about what had been holding up the tour. The host asked whether he now regrets being so open about the situation.
Question: “I love that you were very honest a couple months ago and came out and said well here’s what the issue is and you talked about it. You were very transparent about it but I wonder did you feel did you end up regretting being so honest about what was holding up the tour?”
“A little bit,” Rockett said. “But it’s weird how they re-edit like what I said so many different ways. And then every outlet started asking me and I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m not going to go through this again. I already gave you an answer. It is what it is.'”
Rockett went on to clarify why he had spoken out in the first place. He explained that it was a response to claims made by someone else rather than a decision to publicly discuss the band’s internal affairs.
“I mean that was, the only reason and I don’t want to start I know I’ll start stuff back up again,” he continued. “I was responding to somebody else in that moment. Because I don’t air our personal stuff, what Poison does or what we make or how we split it and all that kind of stuff, but there was a person alleging some of that and I wanted to set the record straight pretty much. So that’s how that went, you know.”
Rockett’s frustration traces back to a very specific financial dispute that derailed Poison’s original touring plans.
The band’s proposed 40th-anniversary tour was meant to celebrate the milestone of their 1986 debut album “Look What the Cat Dragged In.” It was scrapped after negotiations broke down over money. Rockett has stated that he, C.C. DeVille, and Bobby Dall were prepared to move forward with the run. However, frontman Bret Michaels demanded a far larger cut of the earnings, asking for roughly six dollars for every dollar his bandmates would make. That imbalance made the production financially unworkable. It ultimately sank the tour before it ever got off the ground.
Rather than let the anniversary pass without any kind of tribute, Rockett pushed forward on his own terms. He launched a solo project called The Rockett Mafia. Through it, he plans to perform “Look What the Cat Dragged In” in its entirety, giving fans a chance to hear the album live even without the full band on stage together.
Despite the setbacks, Rockett has continued to hold out hope for a full reunion further down the road. He has said that Poison has been made an offer for 2027. That positions the year as a realistic target for the band to finally get back on tour together, tied to the album’s 41st anniversary rather than its 40th.
The financial standoff and the resulting fallout explain much of the tension Rockett described in his podcast appearance. His comments about being misquoted and hounded by outlets stem directly from the public attention that followed his initial remarks about Michaels’ demands. It’s a subject he has clearly grown weary of revisiting in every new interview.
With the 2027 window still open, fans will likely continue watching for further updates on whether Poison can finally resolve its financial differences and reunite for a full tour.
