Poison’s long-rumoured 40th anniversary tour has been officially scrapped after a bitter financial disagreement among the band’s original members, leaving fans disappointed and the classic rock outfit’s milestone reunion in tatters.
The US glam-metal icons — Bret Michaels (frontman), Bobby Dall (bass), C.C. DeVille (guitar) and Rikki Rockett (drums) — had been preparing to hit the road in 2026 to mark four decades since their 1986 debut Look What the Cat Dragged In. It would have been the band’s first full tour together since 2022, when they shared massive stadium dates with Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and Joan Jett.
But in a new interview, Rockett revealed that what should have been a celebratory reunion fell apart over a dispute about how the earnings would be divided. According to the drummer, he, DeVille and Dall were all on board with a highly attractive offer when disagreements emerged once it reached Michaels.
“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,” Rockett told Page Six. He claimed the proposed split amounted to “like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can’t work that way.”
The suggested structure, which various reports put at roughly 600 per cent more for Michaels than his bandmates, made the deal untenable for the other three members, effectively sinking plans to bring the full band back together for their milestone year.
Despite the collapse of the negotiations, Rockett was keen to stress that the disagreement wasn’t personal. “I don’t do this just for the money. I do have a love for this, absolutely,” he said, and added that there was no animosity toward Michaels, describing the situation as akin to a family spat. “Every member of this band has given me so much privilege in life. It’s like hating your parents.”
With plans for the anniversary tour shelved, Rockett has instead announced that he will take his side project Rockett Mafia on the road, performing Look What the Cat Dragged In in full as a way of honouring the band’s legacy. He also joked that perhaps the band could still find common ground come a 41st anniversary celebration, though that remains speculative.
For many fans, the news marks the end of what had been a long-teased opportunity to see Poison in its classic configuration once more. Michaels himself had previously teased the idea of a 40th anniversary run back in 2024, calling it the “perfect” time to rock once again, though no dates were ever formally announced before the dispute emerged.
