Triumph’s monumental reunion tour—marking the legendary Canadian rock power trio’s first extensive road work in over three decades—has been running strong for nearly two months, leaving audiences completely thrilled.
Appearing on a recent episode of the Tuning In With Thom Jennings podcast, iconic frontman and guitarist Rik Emmett opened up about the deep emotional impact and creative rewards of resurrecting the band’s historic material in 2026.
“In some cases it’s a little overwhelming, and in other cases it’s just a beautiful celebration of joyful noise with these new guys,” Emmett shared when describing the crowd’s passionate reaction. “And the harmonies and the songs and the hard work that we all put in, and now we get this payoff of having these audiences… And every night it gets better. That’s the thing, too. It just keeps kind of resonating and growing.”
Emmett admitted that a massive amount of behind-the-scenes mechanical fine-tuning is required to keep their vintage arena anthems sounding pristine on a nightly basis:
“You can imagine when you’re inside a band and you’re playing these songs that have such a long history, you’re still looking for a way to kind of have them come alive and this building of a rock ‘n’ roll machine reloaded,” he stated. “You’re always tightening up the screws and adjusting the fan belt or whatever. It’s very rewarding, that process.”
While original mainstays Emmett and drummer/vocalist Gil Moore anchor the stage, founding bassist Mike Levine is noticeably absent from the current itinerary due to ongoing health struggles. To fulfill the massive sonic demands of the tour, the lineup is heavily augmented by a powerhouse backing unit consisting of:
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Current Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X
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Renowned drummer and keyboardist Brent Fitz
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Veteran bassist Todd Kerns
Emmett offered glowing praise for how these new additions have dramatically multiplied the band’s overall firepower, using a high-octane automotive analogy to describe the experience:
“It’s not what Triumph was,” the frontman pointed out directly. “It’s Triumph, but it’s kind of this ‘über Triumph’, like this kind of Triumph on ‘roids. So the reload actually seemed to give it a lot more cylinders in the engine.”
Triumph’s highly successful comeback run is scheduled to officially reach its final destination on June 10, 2026, with a rescheduled performance in Quebec.
