Poison drummer Rikki Rockett says the band is able to enjoy a summer on tour due to the simple fact that they’re no longer living on top of one another. Rockett, who along with the rest of Poison, is out on the road with Cheap Trick, told Long Island Pulse, “It’s more comfortable. Period. I really enjoy it. Man, we were all crammed together; we didn’t have much money. We didn’t start making money until the late-’80s, really. The first couple of records, you’re in debt. But the buses, the accommodations, how you roll. It’s better these days. We hit our 20th anniversary, and at 20 years, we said, ‘It’s time that we get separate buses. We’ve earned it.’ And this way, we won’t kill each other and can keep doing this for a long time.”

He went on to say, “We have separate buses, so we get along just fine. The fact of the matter is we’re doing this because we love the band POISON. It’s our baby, so we all take turns taking care of it in different ways. We want to get along. We want to make it work. That doesn’t mean that we have to go to each other’s houses every day.”

Rockett went on to talk about life in a band after 35 years, admitting, “I don’t want to live with the band. Love them to death, but we get up there, we do our job, we relate in the best ways that we can, and you’ve got to take a break from each other a little bit. The secret to longevity in a band is knowing really how far you can extend yourself to somebody. To know when to back off a little bit and to pick your battles.”

Poison and Cheap Trick tour dates (subject to change):
June 5 – Atlanta, GA – Verizon Amphitheatre
June 7 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
June 8 – Detroit, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 9 – Chicago, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
June 10 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
June 12 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
June 13 – Syracuse, NY – Lakeview Amphitheatre
June 14 – Hartford, CT – The Xfinity Theatre
June 15 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion
June 17 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
June 19 – Toronto, ON – The Budweiser Stage
June 21 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach
June 22 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
June 23 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
June 24 – Allentown, PA – PPL Center
June 26 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
June 29 – Saint Petersburg, FL – Al Lang Stadium
June 30 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place Amphitheater
July 1 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino