Fans waiting to see Bret Michaels return to the stage to complete his postponed Live & Amplified Tour will have to wait a little longer.
On Friday, August 21, the former Poison frontman resumed his tour, which had seen several postponed dates after the 63-year-old singer underwent surgery for kidney stones.
That performance — which took place in Sugar Hill, Georgia — was meant to be his comeback show, but wound up becoming the tour’s swan song when he announced the following morning that he was postponing all the remaining tour dates for the rest of 2026.
Pulled Off the Road
In a statement issued via Facebook on Saturday, August 22, reps for Michaels revealed that he would be taking the rest of the year off on the advice of his physicians,
“Following Bret Michaels’ comeback show at The Bowl at Sugar Hill, doctors and paramedics determined immediately after the show that he still needs additional rest and recovery from his recent surgeries. Bret will be taking the next several months off to heal and get back to 100%,” the statement began.
“Bret’s doctors, Dr. Abby Borhan and Dr. Patel stated, ‘We will be pulling Bret off the road for the time being. He wanted to attempt this show, but we feel there is a much-needed period of rest and slow recovery ahead, especially considering the heat and humidity during the summer months and the effect it can have on his blood sugar levels,'” the statement continued, with the doctors referencing Michaels’ being a Type 1 diabetic who requires regular doses of insulin in order to regulate his blood sugar.
“Our deepest apologies from Michaels Entertainment Group, as we were truly looking forward to the rest of this year’s shows, including The Mountain Music Festival, private events and all the great shows coming up. We now look ahead and to Bret being able to return healthy, strong and ready to rock,” the statement concluded.
‘I Vow to Return’
In a subsequent Facebook post, Michaels offered more details about his health, and promised he’d be back onstage as soon as possible.
“There are not enough words to ever say how grateful I am for all the well wishes of family, friends, fans, bands, crews…and Larry, as well as the incredible get well shoutouts from my musician friends on stage at The Mountain Music Festival,” he wrote.
“They truly gave me the strength I needed to remain unbroken. As you know, I always choose victory over being a victim to my disease. I truly felt I would be able to do all these shows in spite of the recent health domino effect that has occurred. I was truly upset that I could not play The Mountain Music Festival as I love the fans, the outdoors and Tennessee,” he continued. “And I vow to return in ‘27 or ‘28 and make it the best show ever…Right now, I’ve worked diligently with my doctors and physical therapists (who have been beyond incredible) on Saturday, today and will again on Monday, adjusting all the new medication and factoring in what I did not the other day, which was the heat factor in Awesome Atlanta, and, as it was my first show back and I wanted to give every ounce of energy I had in me, with my excitement, I also forgot to factor in the day of, coast to coast flight, which had an effect on my blood sugar & blood pressure levels with the new medicine adjustments, including my insulin. You’ve gotta know that my energy and my soul really want to play music. Hopefully, I will get this figured out much sooner than later. If I could, I would be back out there tomorrow. Sincere love to all…stand strong, rock on and remain Unbroken!”
‘Medical Situation’
The announcement that the former “Rock of Love” reality TV star will be postponing the tour and spending the remainder of the year recovering arrived just one day after a far more optimistic Facebook post.
“I am so excited for my first show back tonight since the medical situation after Spokane and then several other incidents,” Michaels wrote to fans, referencing a July performance in Spokane, Washington, in which Michaels performed while experiencing severe pain due to kidney stones, and was rushed to hospital to undergo emergency surgery immediately after the show. That led to Michaels postponing all his concerts until returning to the stage for that August 21 comeback show.
“For the first time ever, and after the recent surgery, I may be wearing the infamous black travel rock ‘n’ roll sweatpants 🎸,” Michaels added. “But I will be giving 100% of everything I’ve got! If all goes well, I can’t wait for the The Mountain Music Festival tomorrow.”
As People reports, Michaels attempted comeback followed serveral weeks of recuperating after the removal of a stent following “immediate complicated obstructing kidney stone surgery.”
‘Underlying Health Factors
At the time of Michaels’ surgery, his doctors pointed out that his recovery was complicated by “underlying health factors,” including his Type 1 Diabetes.
“Because Type 1 Diabetes inherently compromises the immune system and impairs healing, he faces an exceptionally high risk of contracting a serious UTI or developing urosepsis, a blood infection, until the stent is removed,” Dr. Borhan said. “The demanding nature of a high-intensity tour schedule makes it impossible to maintain the sterile environments, strict hydration schedules, frequent rest and precise blood glucose management required for his safe recovery.”
At that point, Michaels told fans he was “forever grateful for the amazing medical treatment and ongoing medical attention throughout my personal life and career, and truly grateful for family, friends, fans, band, crew and promoters for their understanding and, if all goes well, will hit the road late August back to delivering 1000% energy, intensity and truly nothing but a good time.”
