In a recent interview with Chuck Shute, Pete Evick discussed the possibility of Rikki Rockett’s attack on Bret Michaels being a publicity stunt.
Evick noted, “If you ask Bret, there was never anything to squash. They’re going out in 2026 and that’s it. It was all… There was never anything to squash. Ironically, Rikki magically announced his brand-new band a couple days after that. So he had already been planning that. I don’t know. I look back now and think maybe I fell into the trap myself.”
Later in the conversation, Evick addressed Michaels’ health issues, stating, “The issue here is the health and that there were people including Rikki that were basically saying he’s not having health problems and he f*cking is and that’s all.”
Last month, Rockett took to his official Facebook page to respond to frequent questions about the band’s touring schedule. He wrote, “I keep getting asked multiple times a day, ‘Why isn’t Poison touring in 2025 now?’ Super simple answer, Bret doesn’t want to.”
This statement came less than three months after Michaels had announced on social media that Poison would tour in 2025, promising live performances without backing tracks.
Rockett later clarified his statement in another Facebook post, asserting, “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.”
He emphasized, “Doesn’t matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I’m simply telling you why so that CC, Bobby 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!”
Following Rockett’s remarks, Evick defended him against fans who criticized his comments. He stated that Rikki’s message was accurate and questioned why fans were making assumptions about Michaels not wanting to tour in 2025. Evick also mentioned that Bret has been planning a tour for 2026 and that he has health concerns requiring attention.
Michaels later shared his own statement, expressing, “In 2026, I’m excited to say it will be Poison’s 40th anniversary since the release of ‘Look What The Cat Dragged In’ in 1986. So it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026. In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th Anniversary Tour, with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world…”
He added, “For example, in 2018, Poison headlined and rocked, and in 2022 (four years later) Poison joined Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Joan Jett and Classless Act and rocked the Stadium Tour and now, four years after that, Poison hopefully will continue to rock the world in a 2026 headlining tour.”
Following Bret’s statements, Rockett announced the formation of a new band featuring Brandon Gibbs, Mick Sweda, and Bryan Kimes.
