Poison Scraps 40th Anniversary Tour After Bret Michaels Demands Six Times More Pay Than Bandmates

Poison canceled their 40th anniversary tour. Lead singer Bret Michaels wanted a split that would pay him $6 for each $1 his three bandmates received.

"We had a great offer, I thought. But we left the table. It didn't work." drummer Rikki Rockett told Page Six. 

Guitarist C.C. DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall, and Rockett all accepted the offer, but money became the problem.

"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," added Rockett. "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 started in Pennsylvania in 1983. They released Look What The Cat Dragged In three years later. Their single, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," hit No. 1 on the charts, according to Stereogum. 

No official announcement about the tour ever came. Fans expected dates after Michaels teased the idea in a 2024 Facebook post. Rockett hinted at trouble during a November 2025 interview, and talks stalled once the offer reached Michaels. Rockett said, "We're at a point probably where I don't think we can get that tour to happen now."

There's no bad blood between members, according to Rockett. "Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life," he said to Page Six. "It's like hating your parents."

Rockett will tour with Rockett Mafia, his side project, and play all of Look What The Cat Dragged In at each show. He hopes they can solve the money dispute by next year, joking that "a perfect Poison folly to do a 41st anniversary tour" might happen instead.