Poison’s rumored 40th-anniversary victory lap sounds like it hit the brakes before it ever left the garage. According to Page Six, the band walked away from previously floated 2026 tour plans tied to the 40th anniversary of their 1986 debut, Look What the Cat Dragged In. The report claims the sticking point was money, specifically, an alleged pay split that frontman Bret Michaels wanted heavily tilted in his favor.
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett laid it out in blunt terms while speaking to the outlet: “We had a great offer [for a tour this year], I thought. But we left the table; it didn’t work.”
From Rockett’s perspective, the rest of the group was ready to move, but the financial structure became a non-starter: “Really what it came to was [guitarist] C.C. [DeVille], [bassist] Bobby [Dall] 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. It’s like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can’t work that way.”
Rockett also pushed back on the idea that this came down to greed on his end. For him, the work has to feel worth it for everyone involved, especially when the band would be committing to the grind that comes with touring.
“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.”
Even with the frustration, Rockett framed the situation as something closer to a family dispute than a scorched-earth band breakup. He said the history and what each member has contributed still matter, even when business talks turn sour.
“Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life, it’s like hating your parents.”
As for what comes next, Page Six raised the obvious question: could Rockett, C.C. DeVille, and Bobby Dall take the songs out with another singer? Rockett didn’t shut the door, but he also made it clear that the route comes with a cost, and it’s not his preferred move.
“It’s not out of the question. But doing that is like surgery: it’s the last resort. I don’t want to do that. I’m not quarreling with Bret… We just didn’t come to agreement. I don’t like it, and I’ll say that, but it’s not like, ‘Let’s put up our dukes.’ I don’t think there’s a better frontman for Poison.”
