BRET MICHAELS On POISON Returning To The Road In 2026: 'I Am Positive We're Gonna Work Everything Out'

In a new Facebook Live video, Bret Michaels once again spoke about his recent comment that POISON will likely embark on a tour in 2026 celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band's debut album, 1986's "Look What The Cat Dragged In". Bret said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[I'm] forever grateful for [my POISON bandmates] C.C. [DeVille, POISON guitarist] and Rikki [Rockett, POISON drummer] and Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist].

"I know a lot of people are wondering, and I try to clear any confusion.

"'25 is going to be an awesome year," he continued. "We're gonna pick out some special dates [to play with my solo band], and I'm just going to do my best to a little R&R, take care of my diabetes, which could just use a tune-up — that's it — and some other things that we're going through right now. All gonna be great. I'm keeping positive. And some great family time to have some fun, but still do some great select shows. And then '26, if all goes great, with a lot of moving parts with C.C. and Bobby, Rikki, myself, I am positive we're gonna work everything out and go out in '26."

Regarding what POISON's tour in 2026 might look like, Bret said: "My feeling is 40 great, limited dates — 40 great, limited dates. Make them incredible. It'll be four years since the last time we toured on 'The Stadium Tour' in '22. If we go out in '26, it'll be our 40th-anniversary Parti-Gras 4.0. And there's four bandmembers — all original. Good, bad or indifferent, we are like a band of brothers. We also love each other."

Earlier this month, Bret was asked by Arizona Republic if things were "good" between him and his POISON bandmates during the 2022 "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and Joan Jett, Bret said: "Absolutely. I want to be very clear. Other than an occasional throw down fistfight — I'm not making this up — we're like best friends. But there's no gray area. All of a sudden, we'll get in a fistfight. But the next day, we'll go out and play. We'll work it out like a band of brothers. 'The Stadium Tour' was amazing. We were having fun. We didn't get too many soundchecks. We just dealt with what we were given and were grateful to be there. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY, they were amazing. They played great. But we just came out, and we knew we had one hour at 6 o'clock to go out there and give it everything we had. And it was one of the only stadium tours that from Live Nation's lips to everyone's ears, it was 98 to 100% filled when POISON went on."

Last week, Michaels released a statement via social media in which he said that he was planning to "perform limited shows" in 2025 to focus primarily on his health, "starting with my diabetes which needs a tune-up, not to mention a little R&R." He added that 2026 "would be the perfect" time for a POISON 40th-anniversary tour, "with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world."

Bret's explanation came two days after Rockett revealed on social media that Michaels was 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." The following day, Rikki clarified: "People, I never said that Bret is cancelling the 2025 tour. It didn't get booked. I said the reason POISON isn't touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn't want to. Doesn't matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I'm simply telling you why so that CC [DeVille, POISON guitarist], Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist] or myself doesn't get blamed. It isn't dirt. It isn't a fight. Just the facts, ma'am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!"

Just three months ago, Rikki, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, 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 spoke about POISON's plans to regroup for more shows following the band's 2022 participation in "The Stadium Tour" alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and Joan Jett. During a February 25, 2024 question-and-answer 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. We'll have C.C and Bobby and Rikki and myself and go do another big stadium tour and arena tour in 2025."

Regarding his motivation for 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've been 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.

"For me, what it is, we do about a couple of years solo, and then we'll go out and do 35 or 40 dates with POISON," he explained. "And we set it up, we schedule it."

POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.