Poison drummer Rikki Rockett brings new band The Rockett Mafia to Arcada Theatre

If there’s one thing audiences can expect at The Rockett Mafia’s upcoming show in St. Charles, it’s the unexpected.

Rikki Rockett, the drummer of ’80s iconic band Poison, is hitting the road with his new project, The Rockett Mafia, this summer. The band will play a show with L.A. Guns on Friday, July 25 at the Arcada Theatre in downtown St. Charles.

The band, which consists of Rockett on drums, singer Brandon Gibbs, guitarist Mick Sweda, and Bryan Kimes on bass, will perform a variety of ’70s and ’80s cover songs, some of which may surprise people.

“I can’t tell you that [the show] is going to be perfect, but it’ll be fun. That’s live rock and roll,” Rockett said. “We just added ”California Man" by Cheap Trick, and “I Think I Love You” from The Partridge Family. We do a Billy Joel song, a Faces song. Most of the ’70s songs we chose have been interpreted many different ways, so we’ve thrown our own spin on them. My goal is for people to listen to these songs and recognize them.”

The Rockett Mafia has only been playing together for about a year. The idea came about when Rockett was asked to perform at a fundraising event in Santa Monica. He threw together some musician friends to play a set of covers, and it was a hit.

Rockett decided to put together his own band, taking the name The Rockett Mafia, which was the name of his former fan club. The only problem was the musicians he performed with for that fundraiser were committed to other bands, so Rockett found a group of players who could commit to this new idea.

Fast forward a few months, and Rockett, Gibbs, Sweda and Kimes have been busy rehearsing the cover songs that the band plays on this “mini tour” over the past few months.

And while the band is concentrating on cover songs, Rockett said that original music from The Rockett Mafia could be coming in the future.

“We’ve talked about writing new music and we will be doing that, probably going to happen after this run,” Rockett said. “I’d like [The Rockett Mafia] to be perpetual. We’re all friends enjoying music together. There’s not a lot of pressure, so that’s fun and fresh. I’m reconnecting with a part of me that was 40 years ago.”

But while Rockett is excited about this new venture, his priority remains Poison.

Rockett and singer Bret Michaels formed Poison in their Pennsylvania hometown in the early ’80s. They moved to Los Angeles, where they became a fixture in the ’80s Sunset Strip music scene with their 1986 debut album “Look What the Cat Dragged In.”

Poison shot to super stardom with their second release, 1988’s “Open Up and Say Ahh!” which spawned the hits “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” “Fallen Angel” and “Every Rose Has its Thorn,” which hit Number One on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 Chart.

Poison, which is currently inactive, has toured sporadically throughout the years with the four original members: Rockett, Michaels, guitarist C.C. DeVille and bassist Bobby Dahl.

The last time the foursome toured was for the 2022 Stadium Tour with Motley Crue and Def Leppard, but Rockett is hopeful that Poison will tour in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album.

“I hope we’re back on the road in 2026. Bobby and C.C. want to do it. The offer is in Bret’s lap,“ Rockett said.

Until that happens, Rockett is focusing on The Rockett Mafia, which he said is much different than being in Poison. He described his role in the band as the leader, whereas in Poison, he was just one member of a four-person team.

“At the end of the day, I’m carrying my name on this. I have to figure out how to make this work and it’s on me to do it,” he said. “This is four times as hard as Poison and four times less the money. But I think I’m trying to prove to myself that there’s so much more to me than playing “Talk Dirty to Me” and “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” It’s been fun to rediscover all those things that made me pick up drumsticks in the first place – it humbles me and fulfills me in a way that’s different than Poison.”

Rockett said no matter which band he’s playing with, he’s always appreciative of the fans who come out to support live music.

“Every weekend in every city, there are good bands playing cover songs and doing a good job. But I’m taking 40 years of experience and we’re reinventing cover songs and making them worth going to see - I think we figured it out,” he said. “It’s not that we’re playing those songs better, but differently than others. We’re selecting different songs. Our song selection is good and it makes you want to dance. It’s rock and roll fun, so let’s have a party.”

Tickets for The Rockett Mafia/L.A. Guns start at $29 and can be purchased online here.

For more information about the Arcada Theatre and a full list of upcoming shows, visit arcadalive.com.