Bret Michaels returns to the stage after surgery

The show was a kind of tuneup and test run for a charity concert that Michaels was set to do Friday night in Fort Myers.

Former poison frontman Bret Michaels made a return to the stage last Thursday, just one week after a string of six hospital visits and kidney surgery.

The show was a kind of tuneup and test run for a charity concert that Michaels, 51, was set to do Friday night in Fort Myers, Florida, according to Janna Elias, vice president of operations for Bret Michaels Entertainment.

On stage, Michaels made it clear to the screaming crowd at Mavericks at The Landing nightclub that he was just fine, shouting after nearly every song, “Jacksonville, Florida! Jacksonville, Florida! Thank you!”

After about an hour, Michaels addressed his recent medical issues: “We honestly didn’t know how long we would make it,” Michaels shouted above the applauding crowd. “Let me tell you, I’m feeling very little pain.”

But Michaels ended the show soon after, about an hour in, then came back for an encore, performing a rousing rendition of Poison’s Nothin’ But a Good Time.

Michaels’ was hospitalised on Nov. 1 when, against medical and friends’ advice, he performed a concert in Knoxville, Tennessee, but then was immediately rushed to a hospital.

Michaels has had numerous physical issues through the years. He was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and was struck in the head by a set piece during the Tony Awards in 2009, an injury that led to a near-fatal brain hemorrhage. Michaels’ handler said the singer isn’t overdoing it as he returns to performing.

“We’re basically doing weekend shows for the rest of the year,” said George LeBlanc. “We have 10 or 11 shows scheduled.”