Bret Michaels opted to take the the high road in his response to Poison drummer Rikki Rockett’s recent claims that his monetary demands caused Poison’s 40th anniversary tour plans to fall apart.
The frontman addressed his bandmates — Rockett, guitarist C.C. DeVille and bassist Bobby Dall — in a Facebook post on Wednesday, congratulating Rockett on his induction into the Metal Hall of Fame and shouting out Green Day and Bad Bunny for their upcoming performances at this year’s Super Bowl.
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“To Green Day and Bad Bunny – congratulations on the Super Bowl concert,” Michaels wrote. “I cannot wait to watch it and I cannot wait to announce a Bucket List NFL dream come true (stay tuned…).”
He continued: “To my friend Rikki Rockett – have fun tonight with my good buddy Eddie Trunk and enjoy the Metal Hall of Fame ceremony.
“As always, I consider Poison to be Bobby, C.C., Rikki and myself. I also make no bones about loving the BMB [Bret Michaels Band] and will always have both in my life.
“Bottom line – I love music, I love the fans and I’m always forever grateful. Onward & upward and let’s all focus on the positive in 2026, and the potential of a future reunion.”
Why Did Poison Scrap Their 40th Anniversary Tour Plans?
According to Rockett, Poison nixed their 40th anniversary tour plans after Michaels allegedly demanded 600% more money than his bandmates.
“We had a great offer, I thought. But we left the table,” the drummer recently told Page Six. “It didn’t work.”
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Rockett elaborated: “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. It’s like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can’t work that way.”
“I don’t do this just for the money,” he continued. “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.”
Despite his disappointment, Rockett insisted he had nothing but love for his Poison bandmates. “I’m not quarreling with Bret… We just didn’t come to agreement,” he said. “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.”
Rockett also hasn’t completely given up hope on a Poison tour in the near future, joking that it would be “a perfect Poison folly to do a 41st anniversary tour.”
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Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso
