I’m going way back this week, folks. We’re talking old school. Classics. This week’s piece stems from the fact that Triumph, yes, TRI-motherloving-UMPH is touring and they are coming on a day that I just can’t see how I logistically make things work. *cue major water works* Any of you out there who know me, I will, and have, moved heaven and earth to see a show, to see old friends, these are my priorities. I can almost always make it happen. A Triumph show is not a completely dead concept, the corpse is still twitching, but, damn. It will be rough.
Anyhow. Triumph are a power rock trio from Canada who straddle that chasm between progressive and metal, enough so that they can remind one of a certain Canadian trio going by the handle of one band named Rush. Similar but NOT the same. Triumph have their own certain flavor, their own spice, special sauce. Rush is like Yes in that they are in love with that extra fiddle-faddle, all those extra bells and whistles. Triumph are clean, less with the frills. They are powerful and they are, like Yes and Rush, really, really good musicians. And Rik Emmet’s vocals? How does he hit those high notes? How does he (allegedly) still hit those high notes? I do not know. That’s between him and rock-n-roll Jesus. Better than that, there’s Gil Moore on drums with amazing pipes of his own. The play between him and Emmett on Follow Your Heart is everything a rock fan wants in a song. I can sing along (so badly, so off key) note by note, word by word. The third original member of the trio is Mike Levine on bass, backing vocals and keyboards. Between the three of them- Magic. The idea that they are on their first tour in more than thirty years and I might miss them? Unthinkable.
And here’s why it hurts. Triumph was founded in 1975. They had a couple of decades of amazing creativity. They were hugely popular with a ton of great songs. Then they just went away. Emmett left the band, who carried on for a while but without the same passion that ignited fans in the beginning. Now they are back and singing all those songs I can butcher so well… Magic Power, Lay It On The Line, Fight The Good Fight. They were all great, but for my money, give me World of Fantasy any day. I love this song. I hope that you do, too.
I also hope that some way, some how I get to this show!!! Here’s Triumph live at the US Festival, yes, the actual US Festival by the great and powerful Woz (Steve this how you spend your Apple money Wozniak) on May 29th, 1983. I follow it with the offcial video for those who would like a tighter, cleaner version.
If any of you do get to the show please share your experience so that I might live through you. Don’t get me wrong… I’m still trying to make it happen. I’ve moved heaven and earth before. Maybe, just maybe…but, hey, I do live in a world of fantasy.
