Bret Michaels' two-week break following Poison's summer tour is just about up, and the singer will head out on a fifty-six-date solo tour starting September 26th and running into December. The outing will be Michaels' first ever without the band.

The shows will be held in more intimate venues than the amphitheaters that Poison typically play, and Michaels promises a combination of Poison hits and solo songs, primarily drawn from his new solo album, Songs of Life. "It'll almost be like an electrified Storytellers," Michaels says of the tour. "It gives me a chance to talk about the songs a little bit. What I want to do is give the fans something exciting, but at the same time something slightly different."

And while typical Poison pyro might be put on the back burner, Michaels says the show won't exactly be a handful of guys sitting on stools. "I don't want it to be a B-rated version of Poison, though I don't want to just imitate a big show in a smaller arena," he says. "I've been doing this for eighteen years, so it's not like I'm not gonna put on some kind of show. But I do like the focus on the songs."

Despite the solo jaunt, Michaels says he has no intention of splitting Poison. While Songs of Life includes a couple of glam-rock tunes that would fit in the band's repertoire, the album also includes more country and blues-tinged fare (like "Raine," a song Michaels wrote for his daughter) that he didn't see as a good Poison fit. "These are songs I wrote for myself," he says. "There are songs that come to the table that are naturally Poison songs, but I just thought these worked together and represented another side."

In fact, Michaels and Poison plan to be back on the road next summer. "There's two reasons people hang onto this band," Michaels says. "I would like to believe it's all because we've written some songs people can relate to over the years, and that's true for some. But the second reason, and the most important, is we're a train wreck waiting to happen. So people hang on, thinking C.C. [guitarist DeVille] and I could get in a fight on stage at any moment . . . and they're hoping it will be the show they're at."

Bret Michaels tour dates:

9/26: Cincinnati, Annie's
9/27: Detroit, Harpos Concert Theater
9/28: Cleveland, Agora Theater
9/29: Indianapolis, The Vogue
10/1: Columbus, OH, PromoWest Pavilion
10/2: Urbana, IL, The Canopy
10/3: Chicago, Joe's
10/4: Milwaukee, The Eagles Club II
10/5: Medina, MN, Medina Entertainment Center
10/7: Lincoln, NE, Royal Grove
10/8: Kansas City, The Beaumont Club
10/9: Tulsa, Cain's Ballroom
10/10: Sauget, IL, Pops
10/11: Flint, MI, The Machine Shop
10/12: Toledo, OH, Bijou Theater
10/14: Pittsburgh, Hard Rock Cafe
10/15: Allentown, PA, Crocodile Rock Cafe
10/16: New York, B.B. King's
10/17: Asbury Park, NJ, Stone Pony
10/18: Wantagh, NY, Mulcahy's
10/19: Hartford, CT, Webster Theater
10/21: Boston, Axis
10/22: Hershey, PA, Shakey's
10/23: Towson, MD, The Recher Theater
10/24: West Springfield, VA, Jaxx
10/25: Winston-Salem, NC, Ziggy's
10/26: Charlotte, NC, Amos Southend
10/28: Harrisonburg, FL, Jannus Landing
10/29: N. Myrtle Beach, SC, House of Blues
10/30: Atlanta, Masquerade Music Park
10/31: St. Petersburg, FL, Jannus Landing
11/1: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, The Factory
11/2: Lake Buena Vista, FL, House of Blues
11/3: Jacksonville Beach, FL, Freebird Caf?
11/5: Jackson, MS, Club Crazy 8
11/6: Starkville, MS, Remington's Hunt Club
11/7: Dallas, Deep Ellum Live
11/8: San Antonio, The White Rabbit
11/10: Albuquerque, Midnight Rodeo
11/11: Tempe, AZ, Marquee Theater
11/12: Tucson, AZ, City Limits
11/13: Anaheim, CA, House of Blues
11/14: Las Vegas, Boulder Station Hotel and Casino
11/15: San Diego, Canes Bar and Grill
11/16: Los Angeles, House of Blues
11/18: Sacramento, The Roadhouse
11/20: Salt Lake City, DV8
11/21: Loveland, CO, White Buffalo
11/22: Denver, Bluebird Theater
11/23: Grand Junction, CO, Mesa Theater and Club
11/28: Grand Rapids, MI, The Intersection
11/30: Nashville, Exit/In
12/4: Dewey Beach, DE, Bay Center
12/5: Cuyahoga Falls, OH, The Boot Scoot
12/6: Berwick, PA, Peppers Arena
12/7: Clifton Park, NY, Northern Lights

ANDREW DANSBY
(September 18, 2003)