It’s only a few minutes after his scheduled call-in interview time, but Rik Emmett is still all apologies.
“I’m sorry, Bob! Today’s a travel day and I just now got into my hotel!” he says, clearly proving the adage that All Canadians Are Polite. When asked if he would like to reschedule, Emmett brushes it off. “Oh no. This is what I do. I play gigs and I do interviews!”
But these are not normal gigs that the singer/guitarist is talking about. It’s the 50th anniversary tour of hard rock heroes Triumph, and the first to include Emmett in nearly four decades. A glorious thing that fans thought would never, ever happen.
And with five gigs in their native country already in the rear view, he’s excited to continue and then cross the border into the U.S. They’ll stop locally on May 22 at the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land with fellow Canadians April Wine opening.
“I wasn’t originally sold on the idea and had to be talked into it. But I’ve found it a delightful, incredible experience for a 72-year-old man. What a blessing,” he says. “And the musicians I’m playing with and the audience…it’s been very nice. The adrenaline is crazy high. There’s a lot of layers to a Triumph thing with production and crews and lights and rear screen projections. And pyro!”
In that vein, Emmett also made sure that his own machine was going to be fine-tuned.
“I went to a personal trainer and Iost 15 pounds out of vanity!” he laughs. “When we make an appearance, we want to look good!”
The trio of Triumph came together in 1975 from two different bands: Gil Moore (vocals/drums) and Mike Levine (bass/keyboards) from the oddly named Abernathy Shagnaster, and Emmett from Act III. A self-titled debut record followed the next year, and the band began to build a following with their high-energy live shows and special effects of shooting flames and exploding flashpots.
But radio play and gigs in the U.S. evaded them until—as detailed in the excellent 2021 band documentary Triumph: Rock and Roll Machine—two DJs at San Antonio’s KISS-FM radio began playing “Blinding Light Show.” They were moved to headlining status at a gig in the city when Sammy Hagar bowed out, and a string of Texas dates started word of mouth about them.
“Hold On” (1979) became a modest U.S. radio hit, and over the next years others joined it on the FM airwaves (and remain today) including “Lay It On the Line,” “Fight the Good Fight,” “All the Way,” “A World of Fantasy,” “Spellbound,” “Never Surrender” and “Somebody’s Out There.” Albums Progressions of Power (1980) and Allied Forces (1981) sold well, but their primary popularity was still on the concert stage.
By 1988, the ever-popular creative/personal/business conflicts—and Emmett’s desire to begin a solo career and expand to sounds beyond hard rock—led to his departure. Moore and Levine recruited guitarist Phil X for one more record and tour, but the Triumph machine ceased to run in 1993.
The original trio played two big reunion shows in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2019 when they made a surprise appearance with a three-song set at a Triumph superfan convention (shown in Rock and Roll Machine) and a one-off performance of “Lay It On the Line” at an NHL hockey game that the reunion wheels started turning.
So, fans rejoiced late last year when it was announced the original trio would embark on “The Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded” tour, bringing along Phil X (now for more than a decade Bon Jovi’s lead guitarist), bassist Todd Kerns, and drummer/keyboardist Brent Fitz. The “new guys” would beef up the sound and allow the originals some breathing room.
At least, that’s how it was supposed to be. Shortly thereafter, the band announced that, due to health issues and problems with his hands, Levine would only be making sporadic appearances, if any. A disappointment to the band and fans for sure, but probably not more than for Levine himself. Meaning audiences wouldn’t get see his signature mustache and long flowing hair (now a snowy white color) much.
Emmett is careful to make any defining statement or promise, but hopes that Levine will be able to at least contribute some keyboards on some dates.
“It’s a genuine regret that everybody has. We really miss him. And Todd has made a point of being grateful for the opportunity and how much he owes to Mike. And for Gil and I, we’re getting this victory lap—though I wouldn’t characterize it as that. We’re not mailing it in—this is hard work!” Emmett offers. “But [Mike] should get to share in the glory of this, especially playing with these other guys. It’s too bad we don’t get to share this with our brother.”
So…Kerns won’t be growing a big mustache soon to fit into the role?
“No!” Emmett laughs. “But it’s funny, we do joke about that!”
As their documentary notes, the biggest U.S. audience that Triumph every played to was likely the second US Festival in 1983. The brainchild of former Apple honcho (and noted music fan) Steve Wozniak, each day of the three-day outdoor event had a theme.
Triumph played on “Heavy Metal Day” sandwiched between veteran acts with ‘70s roots (headliner Van Halen, Scorpions, Judas Priest, and Ozzy Osbourne) and upcoming “hair metal” bands (Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot).
And even though they were bereft of wearing leather, studs, or spandex—instead favoring a mostly-white hue of T-shirts and pants—many felt then and now that Triumph “stole the show.” So much that years later a CD and DVD of their hour-long show came out due to demand.
“That spring into summer we wanted to play multi-act shows and get a good payday. But there had always been a critical thing about the band with the show and the effects and the flame about our playing. Like KISS without the makeup. So, we just went out and played in the daylight.”
Emmett says the night before the big day, they had played a gig in Florida with ZZ Top and had to make a quick cross-country trip to the Festival site of Devore, California near San Bernadino with little time to spare.
“We flew across the country, grabbed a nap, then flew over in helicopter when we saw all those people. So, we thought ‘Let’s just go gonzo and kick some ass!’” Emmett says. “But we had done the Texxas Music Festival, so it was like another gig. But now, everybody tells the story we ‘stole the day.’ And everybody likes stories. Even richly embroidered stories.”
Ultimately, Emmett says, the power is in the songs. And probably no Triumph song is more powerful, deep, or meaningful to their fans than “Magic Power.”
It’s a simple tale of, no matter how much difficulty, challenges, or disappointments one has in life, you can always disappear into your favorite music and everything will be better. And the chorus “I’m young, I’m wild, and I’m free/Got the magic power of the music in me” was—and is—an almost spiritual highlight for both the band and the audience.
“It resonates with people. And when I sing it well, it resonates with me, even now,” Emmett says. “The audience feels that I sing it like I really mean it. And I do.”
Emmett is also very fond of the Rock and Roll Machine documentary. He adds that that since there wasn’t a ton of old live or biographical footage of the ground, they’d have to supplement it somehow. And it was done brilliantly with animated segments.
“That was fun. And at the heart of the Three Musketeers thing we had, there was a sense of humor. That was important [among] us. And the documentary captured that.”
Finally, outside of Triumph, Rik Emmett has a rich and deep solo and collaborative career, with plenty of records that showcase his love of classical, flamenco, jazz, and blues music, often instrumental. He’s also released books of poetry and music journalism, with 2025’s Ten Telecaster Tales book/record combo being the most recent.
Still, Rik Emmett does not consider himself a musician. But an artist.
“I’m not afraid to call myself that. When you’re an artist, you’re not just a performer. And you don’t do it because you think you’re going to make a lot of money,” he says. “Someone called Roger Waters a great musician, and he said the same thing. He could write his own stuff, conceive his own stuff and then figure out a way to execute it. And that’s being an artist.”
Triumph plays Friday, May 22, at the Smart Financial Centre, 18111 Lexington. For more information, call 281-207-6278 or visit SmartFinancialCentre.com. April Wine opens. $67.50-$137.50 plus fees.
For more on Triumph, visit TriumphMusic.com.
