Helping bring commercial metal to the masses since the early '80s, Poison remain at the top of their game well into the current decade. Their Glam-a-Geddon tour in 2011 commemorating their 25th anniversary was a huge success, reflecting the band's now legendary status as a forerunner of American pop-metal. The same can be said for their 2012 tour with fellow rockers Def Leppard. Poison's live shows often combine raucous fun with serious musical entertainment. Ticket buyers were in for a night of loud, high-energy concert rock, not to mention the onstage antics of the notorious C.C. Deville, whose amazing guitar solos are known to exceed nine minutes. Poison's 2011 Double Dose: Ultimate HIts compilation album preceded their summer tour and features all their hit singles that topped music charts.
It began in 1984, with frontman Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall and drummer Rikki Rockett. Deville joined the band shortly thereafter, and the spirit of Poison was born. The glam fashion and metal attitude were a surprisingly effective mix. The 1986 hit Look What the Cat Dragged sold over two million copies, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200. With the release of 1988's Open Up and Say... Ahhh!, the super-smash anthem "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" cemented Poison firmly in their place in musical history. Their 2002 album Hollyweird reunited the band's original lineup after years following a falling-out among members. The reunion seems to have reinvigorated Poison, as it holds true to everything the band ever was and everything it ever will be in the public's eye. Songs like "Wishful Thinkin'" and the title track are hard-driving, good-old-fashioned rock and roll with a pop-metal edge. Fans could not ask for anything more, and a whole new generation of fans got a good glimpse of what the legendary Poison was all about.
