Triumph Reunite for Three-Song Set
Triumph reunited for a three-song set in Toronto over the weekend. The performance was recorded for an upcoming documentary about the band.
It was the first time Rik Emmet, Mike Levine and Gil Moore performed together in 11 years, and the first time they played as a power trio in 31 years. Around 300 fans were present for the show, which featured the classic songs “When the Lights Go Down,” “Lay It on the Line” and “Magic Power.” The filming took place in drummer Moore’s Metalworks studio complex; the results will be seen in the Banger Films production Triumph: Lay It on the Line, set for release next year.
"Mike, Rik and I are thrilled to revisit Triumph’s history and especially to express our gratitude to our amazing fans," Moore said in a statement when the movie was announced. "We are excited to be working with Banger Films, and this documentary is our way of reaching out to all those people who have touched us along the journey to say thanks."
Last year, he told Ouch, You’re on My Hair (via Blabbermouth) that the movie “talks a lot about the Us Festival, it talks about San Antonio, it talks about the issues, later on in our career, with the record label. It talks about all that stuff.”
Moore noted that Triumph have received large-scale offers to reunite, but he wasn’t sure it would ever happen because of his commitments to Metalworks, which now employs around 100 staff members.
“I'm tied down in a good way," he explained. "When I say 'tied down,' I'm doing what I love. I love Triumph. I'm not gonna say that we won't play again. It kind of tears at my heartstrings, to be honest with you. I wish I could get 36 hours in a day instead of 24 and keep my drum chops up and do that kind of thing.”
The last official Triumph reunion took place at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2008. Moore and Levine appeared as special guests on Emmett’s 2016 album RES 9.