Bret Michaels Performs at Armed Services Veterans Benefit Show ‘Heroes Ball IV’
Poison singer Bret Michaels made his way to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19 for Heroes Ball IV, an inauguration-week celebration benefiting veterans of the American armed services.
The event, which was held at the Warner Theater and offered free attendance to veterans, active duty personnel and Gold Star families, was billed as a "rock 'n' roll salute" to the military. In a Facebook post, Michaels told followers he was "honored" to perform at the Ball.
Heroes Ball IV was originally slated to be headlined by the all-star rock collective Kings of Chaos, featuring a lineup that was set to include ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Cheap Trick's Robin Zander alongside Matt Sorum, Billy Duffy of the Cult, Steve Stevens, Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots and Chester Bennington. The band pulled out, however, reportedly due to concerns regarding the location and timing — both close to Inauguration Day.
According to iHeart, members of Kings of Chaos "didn't want their name associated" even tangentially with anything involving President-elect Donald Trump; whatever the reason, organizers were forced to make the last-minute change to Michaels.
Michaels remains on the road with his solo band throughout the winter, for a stretch of gigs primarily focused in the south and midwest. As previously reported, he'll spend much of the spring and summer on tour with Poison, as part of a lengthy package tour that will see the band breaking a lengthy live performance gap to share the stage with Def Leppard and Tesla.
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