Feeling nostalgic? You may want to grab a ticket to Poison frontman Bret Michaels’ show at the ION Arena in Leesburg on October 18.
The solo show is part of what Michaels is calling “Parti-Gras 2.0.” It will include appearances by his friend Stephen Pearcy, lead singer, songwriter, and founder of the metal band RATT.
“The Parti-Gras 2.0 has been incredible,” says Michaels in an email to Northern Virginia Magazine. “It is a celebration of the fans, the bands, the music, and in every city a big celebration of the hometown heroes and hometown musicians.”
Michaels called the ION Arena the “kickoff of the Fall Ball Parti-Gras 2.0.”
“It is literally part of my stomping grounds — it’s my Route 15 jam, as I like to say,” he writes. “I strive to make every show incredible and a unique experience of audio and visual for all the fans. It’s a party and nothing but a good time of all killer hits and no filler.”
Speaking of hits, Michaels will perform songs like “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” “Nothing But a Good Time,” and “Talk Dirty to Me.”
Michaels, who grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, says his father finished his career in the Navy at the Inland Naval Support Center and his family was “in Virginia all the time.”
“In fact, as a kid, I remember many Polaroids of my sisters and me in our ‘Virginia is for Lovers’ T-shirts and cowboy hats and minibikes,” he says.
Michaels notes that he loves hiking in all the state parks in Virginia and has often passed many fans and friends while on hikes. “I’ve had some great conversations while hiking,” he says.
The show marks the debut of Michaels’ solo band, which includes a number of NoVA musicians. Vocalist Becci Clark hails from Haymarket, and many may know her from Nollypop Boutique, which she owns. Guitarists Dean Cramer and Pete Evick are from Round Hill and Manassas, respectively. Bassist Norman Voss is from Fredericksburg, drummer Meri Schaefer is from Springfield, and finally, keyboardist Rob Jozwiak lived in the area for years.
“The incredible folks at the ION Arena have been great to work with,” Michaels writes.
Openers include the Gavin Evick Band (Gavin is Pete Evick’s son) and nostalgia band 8 Track Jones.
“The Bret Michaels Band was formed out of absolute friendship and respect for each other’s music,” Michaels says. “I had my music director Pete Evick, who is from Manassas, open several of the shows for Poison and we formed an instant friendship, talking for hours over our love of music, good times, and what we call our ‘Metal Pedal’ hours of music conversations.”
Michaels will be welcoming Steve Augeri from Journey and Bill Leverty from FireHouse as well.
Could a Poison reunion be in the works? Michaels writes on his website that with the 40th anniversary of the Look What The Cat Dragged In album in 2026, “It would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026. In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th Anniversary Tour, with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world, … Although none of this is confirmed and it takes much coordination & planning to have a successful tour … good things happen in 4’s for Poison — 4 original band members, 40th anniversary, 40 limited dates, Parti-Gras 4.0 and May The 4’s be with you!”
That debut album took 12 days to record and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard 200, leading to an even more popular second album in 1988 that peaked at No. 2 with Poison’s only American No. 1 song, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.”
Michaels and other rockers talk about the craziness of the 1980s music scene in the just released Paramount+ docuseries Nothin’ But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of ‘80s Hair Metal.
In recent years, Michaels appeared on The Masked Singer dressed as a banana. He ultimately finished in seventh place. Michaels was on season three, which was won by singer and TV personality Kandi Burruss, dressed as “Night Angel.” Singer Jesse McCartney finished as a turtle in second place and rapper Bow Wow, dressed as a frog, placed third.
Before the show October 18, Lost Rhino Brewing Company will host a party outside called “Tailgate Style,” beginning at 6 p.m.
Tickets to Michaels’ 8 p.m. show start at $60.
Feature image of Bret Michaels by Kevin Mazur
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