50 Years Later Triumph Still Has The Magic Power
Thirty years is a long time to wait for a band to go back on tour. The classic line-up of Moore, Levine and Emmett reunited for two live concerts in 2008, at Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma, and again in 2019 for a three-song performance in Toronto. Long enough that some of the people in the seats at Starlight Theater on Saturday night first heard these songs on FM radio in their teens. Long enough that Triumph’s first full North American tour since the early 1990s stopped being something fans talked about and started being something they’d stopped expecting. And then, at 8 p.m. on a warm May evening, the lights went down, and the machine came back to life.
50 years is quite the anniversary, and a reunion tour, especially with the original line-up, plus new friends, is the best way to celebrate. Formed in Toronto in 1975, Triumph debuted in 1976, and built one of the more quietly remarkable careers in arena rock; with 18 gold and platinum records across Canada and the United States, Juno Award nominations year after year, a live show that earned them Performance Magazine’s “Innovators of the Year” award in 1981. And yet they always seemed underrated, forever cast in the shadow of fellow Canadian trio Rush. I can recall hearing them on the local classic rock stations maybe once; even on XM Radio, I only ever heard “Magic Power”. Saturday night wasn’t about settling any of those old scores. It was simply about whether Rik Emmett, Gil Moore, and Mike Levine could still deliver. And deliver they did.
April Wine took the stage first, and they arrived carrying their own complicated history. The band formed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1969, six years before Triumph even existed, and spent the better part of five decades as one of Canada’s most reliably hard-working rock acts, building an audience through relentless touring and a catalog that stretched past 20 albums. Their commercial peak came in the early 1980s, when “Just Between You and Me” became a power-ballad staple and, notably, made them the first Canadian band to appear on MTV.
The band’s longtime anchor, singer and guitarist Myles Goodwyn, stepped down from touring in late 2022 due to health problems and passed away in 2023. What continues is a band led by guitarist and vocalist Marc Parent, alongside Brian Greenway, who has been playing guitar with April Wine since 1977 the longest tenured member, and only remaining member from the classic era. With most of Starlight’s 8,000 seats filled before the end of April Wine’s set, and many in attendance on their feet and enthusiastically singing along, it would be easy to believe that they were the headliners. They certainly played like it.
For this tour, Triumph has partnered with the organization PLUS1. For every ticket sold during their tour, $1 is donated to SoundsUnite, a music community dedicated to learning, wellness, and creativity. A video played before their set explaining all the good the charity does for bringing music education to children whose schools lack music programs. A QR code was provided so those in attendance could donate, should they choose, which also came with a chance to win a guitar signed by the band.
Triumph’s set opened with “When the Lights Go Down” an interesting choice, and one that set the cadence for the evening. Rather than leading with a signature song and spending the next ninety minutes living up to it, they eased in, letting the production and the band’s presence do the first round of convincing. From there the set moved through a career survey that balanced deep cuts with the obligatory marquee moments.
The expanded lineup, with Phil X, Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns filled out the rhythm section, changed the dynamic of what was always a three-piece exercise in precision. This gave a fuller sound and more dynamic performance, without having to resort to tracks, or additional band members hidden from view. Moore himself joked they’re “the first six-man power trio of all time.” (When Mike Levine is absent, Todd Kerns holds down the bass duties, while Phil X builds guitar orchestration alongside Rik Emmett, and Brent Fitz supplements Gil Moore’s drumming.*)
This tour was as much for the band members as it was for the fans. While we know all the words and guitar licks to the hits, the vibe of the show was more familiar, like a gathering of friends. Just some guys up on stage playing some songs they wrote decades ago without any hint of ego or pretense. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing.
Whether you’ve only heard “Magic Power” in the mix, or you’ve been a fan since ’76, you’d be hard-pressed not to have a great time if they stop in your city.
Words and Photos by Josh Chaikin
