by Tuff vocalist Stevie Rachelle has revealed that he was approached to replace Bret Michaels in Poison following a heated on-stage altercation between Michaels and bassist Bobby Dahl in Atlanta. The revelation came during an interview with Chris Akin Presents.
Rachelle discussed the incident, which occurred around 2008-2012. He explained how he received an unexpected phone call from the band’s camp about potentially finishing out half a dozen shows.
“I’ve never talked about this publicly, maybe on the message boards, but when Bret Michaels and Bobby Dahl had their dust up in Atlanta, which was 2008, 10, something like that, 12, Bobby Dahl called me,” Rachelle said. “I was on the phone with Bobby Dahl. I was on the phone with their travel agent, and they were talking to me about possibly coming out to finish out a half a dozen shows in Poison.”
The vocalist described the sequence of events that led to the offer, starting with the on-stage confrontation.
“In Atlanta, 15 or 17 years ago, Bobby and Bret were having an argument on stage. Bobby picked up his bass, threw it at Bret. It hit him in the leg. And Bret says, ‘You might have just saw the last ever Poison show,’” he explained. “And there was a huge dust up. They left the stage. And the next day, I got a phone call from Kendra Jade, the porn star, who was a friend of mine who I dated previously at some point. She said, ‘hey, Bobby Dahl wants to talk to you. There’s an issue with Bret. They might need you to sing some shows.’”
Rachelle recalled his conversation with Bobby Dahl about the potential arrangement.
“I said to him, I said, ‘what does Rikki and CC think about this?’ I mean, clearly there’s been a longstanding rift between me and Bret, which has long been settled, by the way,” Rachelle noted. “Bobby goes, ‘they think it’s awesome.’ And I was just like, and I go, ‘well, I could probably sing 10 of your songs tonight. I could play the acoustic on a couple, but this sounds kind of crazy to me.’ And he literally said, ‘what do you want?’ And I told him right then, I said, ‘give me a thousand bucks a show and pay all my expenses.’ And it was gonna be six shows left.”
Rachelle also reflected on the internal tensions within Poison and how they’ve affected the band’s touring schedule over the years.
“Some of the long standing feuds that maybe Bret and CC had or Bobby and Bret had and the band in general is probably why you only get a Poison tour every two or three or five years because Bret’s obviously really established himself as a solo artist,” he said. “Poison can still go out and do those big shows and great numbers but Bret still, you know, he’s clearly went to the mountaintop for this era.”
The replacement ultimately never materialized. Poison has continued to tour with its original lineup.
This revelation adds a compelling layer to the known internal difficulties within Poison during the late 2000s and early 2010s. The Atlanta incident exemplifies the well-documented internal strife within the band during that era. Member clashes were reportedly quite severe, often fueled by personality conflicts and stress from touring.
Legendary Rock Interviews reported that Rachelle is the lead vocalist and face of the glam metal band Tuff, which emerged from the late 1980s Sunset Strip hard rock scene. Tuff had early associations with Poison, having opened for or performed with them before Rachelle joined Tuff officially. Rachelle himself has become a spokesperson for the glam metal era, co-founding the parody and news website Metal Sludge, which chronicles hard rock and metal history and gossip.
Poison has experienced a number of high-profile internal conflicts over the years, involving both personal and professional disputes. BraveWords noted that the band dynamics have occasionally turned hostile, with incidents such as physical altercations and confrontational exchanges. These tensions have been attributed to the pressures of sustained touring, substance abuse issues, and clashing personalities within the band. They sometimes led to lineup changes, temporary hiatuses, and public controversies among members.
Despite these internal challenges, Poison has remained an active touring band from their breakthrough in the mid-1980s through to the present. The band often headlines nostalgic glam metal tours and rock festivals. Full in Bloom highlighted that their touring frequency intensified again in the 2000s with reunion tours and anniversary celebrations of classic albums. This sustained activity contributed to ongoing strain and frictions, but also to their enduring fanbase.
Rachelle’s story offers a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the volatile dynamics of one of glam metal’s most successful bands. It reveals just how close Poison came to a major lineup change during one of their most turbulent periods.
