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This performance was for Triumph’s induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at the 2025 LEGENDS, held at the Meridian Arts Centre in Toronto Canada on October 17, 2025. Rik Emmett is Triumph's original guitarist and Phil X took his place in 1992 (after Emmett left in 1988). Triumph's recently announced 2026 reunion will have Phil X joining as a supporting musician.
This performance sort of highlights how both will compliment each other during that tour; Rik has definitely lost that high end vocal range for this song but Phil is able to cover a good part of it in his own way. Emmett's guitar was also definitely lower for the solo in this live mix, but his guitar playing still sounds true to form even after being in retirement for several years now along with the arthritis in his hands (not bad for someone who is 72 years old and beat his 2024 announced prostate cancer). Watching this gave me goosebumps for sure.
Live performance version of their first release (November 2024) post-Sakurai Atsushi of 雷神 風神 - レゾナンス (Raijin Fujin – Resonance) that was performed at Nippon Budokan on December 29, 2024.
Triumph re-united in 2008 after being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame after nearly 2 decades of not having spoken to each other; Rik Emmett (guitars) left the band in 1988 (which turned out to be a messy and acrimonious breakup). Part of reunion led to them performing two shows; the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma (with the three of them together for the first time since 1988 while for Levine and Moore, the first time since 1993 when Phil X replaced Emmett until they decided to call it quits that same year during a time when the music industry was undergoing major changes).
At the time, there was hopes they would really get back again to do new material and lives (that didn't really materialize and seemed to be destined never to happen).
While pro shot, the entire production of this was not the best quality (tried enhancing/upscaling as best as possible). Rik also had come down with a cold (additionally, he had been tuning down his guitar and vocals for several years by this point).
Best attempt at upscaling this to 720p (which didn't turn out that great). Produced during the time that guitarist Rik Emmett was doing his solo career after leaving the band in 1988. At that time, he was very much estranged/not on speaking terms with the other two members (drummer Gil Moore and bassist Mike Levine). At that time, it looked highly unlikely that the band would ever get back together again.
It's an interesting look back (as each member talks about both the good and then the bad times that ultimately led up Emmett's departure, the acrimony resulting from lawsuits, and how each member felt about the possibility of ever reuniting (and at least in Emmett's case, get back on speaking terms with Levine and Moore again).
A few years later, many attempts were made when there were plans to have the band inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Emmett's brother who was fighting cancer, asked Rik before his passing, to at least talk to his former bandmates (that life was too short to remain bitter). That (plus others who did what it took to get those conversations and meetings happening) led to the three talking and ironing out those past unresolved differences where they also appeared together on stage again to accept their induction. This also led to them performing together for the first time since 1988 at two festivals in 2008; the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma.
The ending part of this documentary (and each of their words spoken including Emmett saying "never say never") is most poignant given their 50th Anniversary Reloaded tour.
Rare live version of Never Say Never from a 1988 spring break concert held at Isla Blana Park (South Padre Island in Texas). Video was ML enhanced and audio tweaked a little (the quality is what it is). That tour for their Surveillance release had only 4 more shows; the final one in September 1988 would be guitarist Rik Emmett's last with the band until they reunited 20 years later for the two shows in 2008; Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma.
The fact this footage exists is incredible since back then, this was around the time when digital cameras (both photo and video) were just coming on to the scene; this was around the time of the analog 8mm camcorders (like the Canon ES-series and Sony Handycam); not very small handheld camcorders which was held to shoot this entire show (no pro shot recordings exist for any of the 1988 shows). I'm slowly "re-mastering" the entire footage but did this one section first given how rare this live version is.
ML upscaled/enhanced to 1080p60 (video source from the 80's is much more difficult to upscale since it really is garbage in, garbage out territory). From Surveillance (released in November 1987), the original official music video was released on July 27, 1987. This (a progressive rock tune with a guitar instrumental prologue entitled "Prologue: Into The Forever") was also one of my favorite Triumph tunes (the melody, the lyrics, the guitar riffs and solo). I still crank the volume on this one. Surveillance would also be the last release with Rik Emmett who left the group in 1988.
ML upscaled/enhanced to 1080p60 (video source from the 80's is much more difficult to upscale since it really is garbage in, garbage out territory). From The Sport of Kings (released in August 1986), the original official music video was released on September 11, 1986. This (a pop rock tune laden with synths and guitars) was also the bands biggest hit (27th place in the Billboard 100 over the course of 15 weeks).
ML enhanced to 720p. Legendary performance of Lay It On The Line at the US Festival in 1983. Personally consider myself lucky that I saw Triumph live during their Allied Forces, Never Surrender, and Thunder Seven tours. The tune saw a renewed (viral) revival in Canada when a sample of the song was used in promotions for the Stanley Cup Finals in Edmonton (Triumph themselves are from Ontario, Canada). This live was sans their usual laser light and pyrotechnic show.
ML enhanced and upscaled - Triumph's appearance at the 1983 US Festival (minor edit to remove the short section of extraneous interviews of people talking over parts of the performance).
ML enhanced the video/tweaked the audio (both as best as possible) from the digitized VHS tape recordings of this concert. I was in high school at the time and remembered listening to the concert in my car (stereo blasting). This was simulcast on both Westwood One to FM stations around the US and an MTV special live; whatever that evening show was that used to show concerts (it was re-broadcast a few times). Finding a stereo recording (from that FM broadcast) is something that has never popped up unfortunately (and most of the VHS recordings were mono plus very grainy quality).
Setlist:
- 1. Tear The Roof Off
- 2. American Girls
- 3. Lay It On The Line
- 4. Allied Forces
- 5. Fight the Good Fight
- 6. Rock & Roll Machine
- 7. Petite Etude
- 8. Guitar Solo
- 9. Nature's Child
- 10. Drum Solo
- 11. Magic Power
- 12. Allied Forces (Improvised outro)
- EN. Hot Time In This City