Triumph guitarist Rik Emmett talked in an interview with Ultimate Guitar and discussed the challenges faced by bands like Van Halen in meeting fan expectations. He highlighted the unpredictable nature of live performances and the pressures to deliver high-quality shows. Emmett said:
“It turns out that perhaps what attributed to the strength and focus of Triumph’s performance that day was that they didn’t have much time to plan, plot, or party beforehand. For Triumph, we had played the day before in Orlando, Florida with ZZ Top. Climbed on a plane, flew across the country, had a little nap, got up, got in the helicopter, got to the gig, and got ourselves sort of ‘stage ready.’ The other guys in the band didn’t like gigs where we were playing without necessarily having our lights and our special effects and stuff.”
On how bands like Van Halen could fail, he said:
“We were the outlier band. All these other bands were, like, really heavy. Mötley Crüe was on the rise up and they were definitely a kind of ‘live-for-today party band.’ And there was kind of a heavy quality to everybody – including the headliner, Van Halen. Who, I think the consensus was they didn’t have a great day because maybe there had been too much partying over the course of the long day – back in their pavilion and their enclave. So, by the time they got out late at night, that was not necessarily one of their better moments.”
Triumph’s Image Among American Critics
Emmett also spoke about Triumph’s relationship with rock critics and how they used their reputation as an outlier to their advantage. He reflected on the band’s journey and how they were perceived by American critics and writers. The guitarist shared:
“I think all those things contribute to the fact that people look back on it and go, ‘Wow. Here’s this outlier Canadian band that we didn’t really expect.’ But there was always that thing. And especially with a certain level of American critics and writers…here’s the thing – after I’d left Triumph, Guitar Player Magazine did a show at I think the Warfield Theater in San Francisco, which was a celebration of their 25th anniversary or something. “
He continued:
“And the review that I think even ran in the magazine after the fact, said, ‘Surprisingly, Rik Emmett played kind of a tasty thing.’ And I went, ‘Surprisingly?!’ So, I would be ‘surprisingly tasty,’ because it was not necessarily what people expected – that there was a musician lurking behind that guitar. A writer lurking behind being in a rock band.”
Challenging Stereotypes As A Rock Musician
Emmett elaborated on the stereotypes and unexpected reactions he and Triumph faced in their careers. He said:
“So, I would be ‘surprisingly tasty,’ because it was not necessarily what people expected – that there was a musician lurking behind that guitar. A writer lurking behind being in a rock band.”
Emmett’s experience underlines the often narrow expectations placed on rock musicians, and his efforts to challenge and surpass these preconceptions. Click here to the interview.
