In a bombshell announcement that sent shockwaves through the rock world, Poison frontman Bret Michaels has officially confirmed the band’s 40th anniversary tour, set to kick off in spring 2026 with the original lineup intact. On September 24, 2025—exactly one day shy of the 39th anniversary of their iconic debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In—Michaels took to social media and a packed press conference in Los Angeles to declare the reunion a reality. “It’s happening, snakes! All four original members—myself, C.C. DeVille, Bobby Dall, and Rikki Rockett—are hitting the road for 40 epic dates to celebrate four decades of Poison,” Michaels proclaimed, his signature bandana and leather vest evoking the glam-metal glory days. The tour, dubbed “Poison: 40 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebellion,” promises a high-octane setlist of hits, deep cuts, and pyrotechnic-fueled nostalgia, marking the band’s first full headlining trek since 2018. For a generation that came of age in the neon haze of the ’80s, this isn’t just a tour—it’s a resurrection, a defiant middle finger to time, and a love letter to the fans who kept the flame alive.

The road to this announcement was anything but a straight shot down Sunset Boulevard. Poison’s story began in the gritty underbelly of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1983, when four teenage misfits—Bret Michaels (vocals), Matt Smith (guitar), Bobby Dall (bass), and Rikki Rockett (drums)—pooled their allowances to buy amps and dreams. Smith was soon replaced by hometown hero C.C. DeVille, a flashy guitarist whose solos could peel paint off venue walls. Relocating to Los Angeles in 1985, the band scraped by on demo tapes and dive-bar gigs, enduring the cutthroat audition circuit where hair metal hopefuls were as disposable as a cheap lighter. Their big break came courtesy of producer Rick Chertoff, who caught wind of their raw energy and signed them to Enigma Records. Look What the Cat Dragged In, released on August 2, 1986, exploded like a Molotov cocktail at a prom—selling over 3 million copies on the back of singles like “Talk Dirty to Me,” “I Want Action,” and “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” VH1 would later crown them the #1 hair band of the ’80s, but in those early days, Poison were the scrappy outsiders, trading on charisma, hooks, and unapologetic excess.

The late ’80s and early ’90s saw Poison ascend to arena-rock gods. Open Up and Say… Ahh! (1988) went diamond with “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” a power ballad that topped the charts and tugged at heartstrings worldwide. Follow-ups like Flesh & Blood (1990) spawned “Unskinny Bop” and “Something to Believe In,” cementing their status as MTV darlings. Stadium tours with the likes of Mötley Crüe and Cinderella packed 20,000-seat venues, where fans in fishnets and Aqua Net waved signs and lighter flames in ritualistic fervor. Behind the glamour, though, cracks formed. DeVille’s substance struggles led to a brief ousting in 1991, replaced by Richie Kotzen and later Blues Saraceno, but the original chemistry proved irreplaceable. Michaels, ever the diplomat, navigated band tensions with a silver tongue, but Poison’s output slowed after 1993’s Native Tongue. A 1999 greatest-hits tour reignited the spark, and by 2002, DeVille was back, leading to the double-platinum Hollyweird and a string of summer package tours.

The 2010s brought health hurdles for Michaels, diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 and a brain hemorrhage that nearly sidelined him permanently. Yet, Poison persisted with festival slots and the massive 2012 stadium run alongside Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, and The Darkness. Their 2018 Flesh & Blood World Tour—named after the 1990 album—drew 500,000 fans across North America, proving the band’s enduring draw. Post-tour, Poison went quiet, with members pursuing solo ventures: Michaels’ Parti-Gras tours, DeVille’s casual gigs, Dall’s quiet life, and Rockett’s side projects. Rumors swirled in 2024 when Rockett hinted at a 2025 headlining offer, only for Michaels to pump the brakes, citing health priorities. “2025 is for tune-ups—my diabetes needs R&R, and so do I,” he posted on Instagram in September 2024. But whispers of a 2026 anniversary bash persisted, fueled by backstage reunions at awards shows and cryptic social media teases.

Fast-forward to early 2025: Poison’s official website teased “big snakes slithering back” with a countdown clock ticking toward April. Insiders buzzed about secret rehearsals in a Nashville studio, where the quartet dusted off axes and drum kits for the first time since 2022’s one-off Joan Jett collaboration. DeVille, now 63 and sporting a silver mane, joked in a leaked video, “My fingers still remember where the whammy bar is.” Dall, the stoic bassist, emerged from semi-retirement to lay down grooves, while Rockett’s precision pounding anchored the rhythm section. Michaels, 62 and battle-scarred but beaming, orchestrated it all, collaborating with producer John Shanks on a potential anniversary EP of reimagined classics and new tracks. “We’re not phoning it in,” Michaels told Rolling Stone in a July 2025 sit-down. “This is Poison unleashed—raw, real, and ready to remind the world why we mattered.”

The official reveal came at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on September 24, a venue steeped in Poison lore from their pre-fame days. Flanked by his bandmates under a shower of red-and-black confetti, Michaels gripped the mic like a long-lost lover. “Forty years ago, we were kids with big hair and bigger dreams. Today, we’re grizzled vets with the same fire in our bellies. Poison is back—all original, all in—for 40 dates that will shake arenas from coast to coast!” The crowd, a mix of diehards in vintage tees and curious millennials, erupted as the band ripped into “Nothin’ But a Good Time” for an impromptu three-song set. Rockett’s thunderous fills echoed off the walls, Dall’s basslines thrummed like a heartbeat, and DeVille’s solos—fueled by a custom Les Paul—wailed with vintage venom. Michaels, sweat-soaked and scar-faced, prowled the stage, his voice a gravelly testament to survival.

Tour details dropped like thunder: Kicking off April 15, 2026, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California—site of their first arena sellout in 1987—the jaunt hits 40 cities, wrapping June 28 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. Stops include Madison Square Garden (May 2), Fenway Park (June 10, co-headlining with Cheap Trick), and a homecoming blowout at Hersheypark Stadium (April 20). Special guests rotate: Warrant and FireHouse for East Coast legs, Enuff Z’nuff and L.A. Guns on the West. VIP packages promise meet-and-greets, pre-show Q&As, and “Snake Pit” access—echoing the band’s infamous 1988 fan frenzy zones. Setlists tease a chronological arc: opening with Look What the Cat Dragged In deep cuts, peaking with Open Up anthems, and closing on Flesh & Blood ballads. “Expect fireworks—literal and figurative,” DeVille quipped. “And maybe a new song or two, if we don’t kill each other first.”

Fan reaction was seismic. Within hours, #Poison40 trended worldwide, with X (formerly Twitter) ablaze: “Finally! Original lineup means original chaos—sign me up!” one user posted, alongside a meme of Michaels dodging groupies. Ticket presales crashed Ticketmaster’s servers, mirroring the band’s ’80s frenzy. Industry heavyweights chimed in: Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil tweeted, “About damn time, brothers—let’s party like it’s 1987.” Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott added, “The Stadium Tour was just foreplay. This is the main event.” Even skeptics, wary of “cash-grab reunions,” warmed to the authenticity—Michaels’ health candor and the band’s no-BS vibe sealed the deal.

What makes this tour more than nostalgia? Poison’s legacy transcends hairspray and hooks; they were the everyman’s rock stars, penning odes to rebellion and romance amid the excess. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” alone has racked 1 billion Spotify streams, a confessional gut-punch that outlasted grunge’s sneer. The 40th milestone arrives as hair metal enjoys a renaissance—Struts and Pretty Wild channeling the strut, while TikTok teens discover “Unskinny Bop” via ironic edits. For the original quartet, it’s cathartic. “We’ve buried hatchets, survived scandals, and outlasted trends,” Rockett said in a joint interview. “This is our victory lap—with amps cranked to 11.” Dall, ever laconic, nodded: “It’s family. Messy, but ours.”

As tickets go on sale October 1 via Live Nation, Poison’s machine revs up. Merch drops include anniversary vinyl reissues, a documentary short on their PA roots, and a charity tie-in with Michaels’ diabetes foundation. “We’re not just touring; we’re testifying,” Michaels reflected. “To the fans who sang with us in ’86 and the kids discovering us now—thank you. See you in the pit.”

In an era of fleeting fame, Poison’s return is a rock ‘n’ roll resurrection: louder, prouder, and unapologetically alive. Forty years on, the snakes are slithering back, fangs bared and ready to bite.