Drummer Rikki Rockett says that Bret Michaels is no longer interested in touring with Poison next year. On September 10 the Poison drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: “I keep getting asked multiple times a day, ‘Why isn’t POISON touring in 2025 now?’ Super simple answer, Bret doesn’t want to.”
Rikki’s comments come less than three months after Brett wrote on social media that Poison would be touring in 2025.” He added at the time: “As usual, there will be no backing tracks. Live, raw, and uncut. Warts and all.”
Seven months ago, Bret Michaels spoke about Poison’s plans to come back for more shows following the band’s 2022 participation in “The Stadium Tour”. During a February 25, 2024, Q&A session aboard the Rock Legends Cruise XI, he said: “When we go back, I think in 2025, it’s always been, to me, all-original Poison.
Regarding his perspective and motivation behind going back out on the road with POISON after spending most of his time touring with his solo band, Bret said: “We’ve known each other since we were in junior high school… I wouldn’t be here without Bobby or Rikki or C.C. And then, as you go along, we’ve been together a long time — still great friends. If anyone saw ‘The Stadium Tour’, that was a party. And when you’re out there with that DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY and Joan, you’re talking A-plus awesomeness. And we just came out and brought it.“
In a 2017 interview, Rikki Rockett acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn’t been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour.
“We could write the second coming of ‘Talk Dirty To Me’, and I don’t know if people wanna hear it or not, and that’s a frustrating thing; it is,” he said. “AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don’t know. But I do think it’s important to stay viable. For the ‘über fans,’ it’s always a good thing. And that’s what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans.”
More recently, Rockett admitted that he and other members of Poison harbored some resentment toward Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.
“I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away,” Rockett said. “There’s some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want Poison to be important too, and I would like to put a little more energy into Poison.”