"I am considering converting," Dall, 44, said. "But [the LDS Church] is not willing to let me have one foot in the door. They want both."

As a result, Dall spends most of the year in Florida, but still owns a home near Snowbasin Resort.

He will be staying at that home as Poison rehearses, starting today, for about four days in Utah before opening its tour Thursday at EnergySolutions Arena.

"I can weed my garden and prepare for the tour at the same time," he said.

Over its 25-year life, Poison has sold more than 25 million albums, most in the halcyon hair-and-glam-metal days of the 1980s, when "Look What the Cat Dragged In" and "Open Up and Say . . . Ahh!" were released. While '80s contemporaries like Skid Row and Bon Jovi either disintegrated or changed styles when grunge and alternative rock overtook rock radio, Poison has sustained, and even built, audiences still craving "Nothing But a Good Time."

Part of the reason for Poison's recent surge in popularity is lead singer Bret Michaels, star of VH1's "Bachelor"-style dating show "Rock of Love."

Band members have had a tough few years, though. Drummer Rikki Rockett was arrested in March, accused of raping a woman in Mississippi. He was later exonerated after it was determined he wasn't in the state when the rape occurred.

The four original members of Poison are back together, even guitarist C.C. DeVille, who left the band in 1991 after a fistfight with Michaels at the MTV Music Video Awards. He is now back in the band.

"C.C. is Poison," Dall said. "Without C.C. there is no Poison. My one regret is not doing everything I could to keep C.C. in the band [during the 1990s]."

The band is a family, Dall said, and the members often fight like brothers, referencing an onstage incident in 2005 when he threw his bass at Michaels and hit him in the knee.

But they patched it all up, Dall said. "Our band is a little like NASCAR," he said. "You watch it to see when we're going to be in a wreck."

The band is excited about the July 15 release of its new CD/DVD package, "Poison: Live, Raw & Uncut," recorded last August in a sold-out show in St. Louis.

The band is also happy that one of its influences, rock band Dokken, will open the Utah show. (Sebastian Bach, formerly of Skid Row, will open at other stops on the tour but not in Utah.)

"Don [Dokken] is a personal friend of mine," Dall said.

Dokken, 54, told The Salt Lake Tribune he is relieved he has his classic voice back, only two months removed from sinus surgery. He was in good spirits, even taking a few playful jabs at his friends in Poison.

"We're a lot heavier than Poison," he said. "In the '80s, we got lumped into the hair bands with them just because we had long hair."

Dokken just released its latest album, "Lightning Strikes Again," in May. Surprisingly, it was the band's highest-charting album in 13 years.

"It's a far cry from being a pop or metal album," Dokken said. "We're hard rock, like Van Halen and Journey."

The only bad part about opening for Poison is that Dokken agreed to it after drummer Mick Brown had committed to drumming for Ted Nugent this summer.

"[Brown is] bummed," Dokken said. He then added that Brown probably needed a break from Dokken for the summer, since "he's been staring at my butt for 27 years."

David Burger can be reached at dburger@sltrib.com or 801-257-8620. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.

Concert and a special party in SLC

When Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Where EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City.

Tickets $29.50 to $49.50 at Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 801-325-SEAT.

Opening act Dokken.

Party A Bret Michaels After-Show Party is at Club Vegas, 445 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 at SmithsTix.

Poison's most well-known songs

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn"

"Fallen Angel"

"Nothing But a Good Time"

"Your Mama Don't Dance" (cover)

"Unskinny Bop"

"SexyBack" (cover)