“Triumph loves you,” screamed lead singer and guitarist Rik Emmett. For the Boston faithful who endured the heat, sun, and beautiful weather on June 6 at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, Massachusetts, Seaport neighborhood, they gave the love right back. Triumph returned to Boston for their second show there in two days on their highly successful reunion tour. The first show sold out so quickly that the band was forced to add a second show. This particular show was supposed to be the tour finale, but due to an American League Hockey game, the fans in Laval, Quebec, Canada, had that honor.
Joining Triumph on the road for this show was fellow Canadian band April Wine. After the doors opened at 7 p.m., shortly after, the quartet in April Wine hopped on stage at 8 p.m. Despite there being no original members of the band left, guitarist and singer Brian Greenway led the band through their 10-song setlist. Greenway has been the longest-serving member of the band, as he joined in 1977.
As the band graced the stage, they jumped right into “I Like to Rock.” Lead singer and guitarist Marc Parent did an excellent job on lead vocals. His showmanship throughout their set got the fans properly ready for Triumph. Even though the band didn’t move around the stage too much, it didn’t necessarily matter. Throughout their set, Greenway, donning bright red shoes, pranced and galloped all over while showing off his veteran chops.
Even though the amphitheater was still filling up, in between each song, the band got a loud, standing ovation. April Wine’s classic and smooth style of music mixed well with Triumph’s polished and perfectly executed arena rock. At the very end of the show, the band blasted into “Roller,” which brought the entire venue onto its feet.
April Wine Is:
Brian Greenway – Guitar/Vocals
Marc Parent – Guitar/Vocals
Roy Nichol – Drums/Background Vocals
Richard Lanthier – Bass/Background Vocals
Setlist:
1. I Like to Rock
2. Big City Girls
3. All Over Town
4. Say Hello
5. Enough Is Enough
6. Before the Dawn
7. You Could’ve Been a Lady (Hot Chocolate Cover)
8. Just Between You and Me
9. Sign of the Gypsy Queen (Lorence Hud Cover)
10. Roller
By 9:10 p.m., Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town” blasted over the speakers. Before the fans knew it, the band took the stage, and the amphitheater became a standing-room-only venue. By now, the amphitheater was fully packed in as the band kicked into “When the Lights Go Down.”
The first thing apparent to fans from the start of the show was that what had been a trio now included three more members and the absent Mike Levine. Emmett and drummer/singer Gil Moore were the lone founding members on stage. Todd Kerns took up the tall task of filling in for Levine on bass. Drummer Brent Fitz supported Moore as an additional drummer and keyboard player, while Bon Jovi’s Phil X joined on guitar and vocals.
The addition of X, Kerns, and Fitz breathed new and fresh life into the band. Fitz and Kerns also appear in Slash, from Guns N’ Roses, on their solo project, so they know how to hold their own with legends. As for X, it goes without saying when you play in Bon Jovi. While the trio has its hard rock roots, it brought a smoother, rougher edge to the band. When the band was all put together, their harmonies were unmatched. Kerns and X ended up singing on a handful of tunes throughout the night, and while they kept it to the original recordings, they added their own unique mark on the songs.
At one point, before the start of “Blinding Light Show,” X had his own fun with the crowd. He split the audience in half and made them belt out “day-o” ala Freddie Mercury. This was followed by shooting Triumph t-shirts out into the crowd from a cannon. Throughout the night, there was one apparent thing: the band seemed to have genuine fun. Everyone was all smiles during the set. There was no sense of “clocking in.” The band fed off the crazed frenzy of the crowd.
Now and again, Moore would either come down from the drums to sing a tune or sit behind the kit and drum out next to Fitz. At one point in the show, Moore grabbed the microphone for a rendition of “Rocky Mountain Way.” Moore’s way of leading a song vs. Emmett is very different. Moore stalked around the entire stage and covered every inch. Emmett seemed to be more reserved near the mic stand when it came to singing lead on certain songs.
If fans forgot how great Emmett was on guitar, they were reminded promptly during “Rock & Roll Machine.” During the middle of the song, the other four members disappeared and let Emmett wail away on his guitar. It was mesmerizing to see that, even after all these years, Emmett still had his “chops.” Sometimes, if a singer or other musician goes into retirement and comes back, they can’t fully grasp the magic of what they once had – not Emmett.
During the band’s set, it’s hard to pinpoint a singular “perfect moment,” or “perfect song.” But one of the head nods has to go to the band’s rendition of “Allied Forces.” There was so much energy and power in that song. Even if the song was only the fifth song of a 14-song set, it was great. “Allied Forces” was Triumph at their very best. From the loud double drum attack to Kerns, X, and Emmett harmonizing the chorus, it left fans with goosebumps.
For the last handful of songs, the fans screamed the lyrics back to the band. Despite the smaller-than-normal amphitheater, it felt like we were in TD Garden, where the Bruins and Celtics play. The crowd was the true definition of deafening for a reunion tour this magical and about 38 years in the making.
To say that Triumph’s reunion show wasn’t great is an understatement. This run of shows on their “The Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded” tour was spectacularly magical. The common sense of “these reunions don’t happen often” was mixed with the sheer disbelief that it’s been 38 years since the last tour, which made the evening special. It’s quite rare for a band to go away, come back years later, and be just as well-oiled but more refined. Yet somehow, Triumph had found that cheat code to make this reunion tour as marvelous as can be.
Triumph Is:
Rik Emmett – Guitar/Vocals
Gil Moore – Drums/Vocals
Phil X – Guitar/Vocals
Todd Kerns – Bass/Vocals
Brent Fitz – Drums/Background Vocals
Setlist:
1. When the Lights Go Down
2. Somebody’s Out There
3. Spellbound
4. Hold On
5. Allied Forces
6. Blinding Light Show
7. Rock & Roll Machine
8. Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh Cover)
9. Never Surrender
10. Lay It on the Line
11. Follow Your Heart
12. Magic Power
13. I Live for the Weekend
14. Fight the Good Fight
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My love for live music started with my first concert ever, Guns N’ Roses back in 2016. Since then, I’ve been able to capture photos of some amazing artists like Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Ace Frehley, and Post Malone. I am based in the Boston, Massachusetts area. I am always looking for the next concert to attend.