Rik Emmett recently opened up about his decision to reunite with Triumph and return to touring. He admitted he became a “complete lying hypocrite” after initially retiring from the band. His candid explanation was shared in an interview with Rock History Music.
The Triumph guitarist explained how a series of events gradually changed his perspective on returning to music after he had sworn off performing.
“In my case, the Triumph thing, yes, it is very true that I turned myself into a complete lying hypocrite. Yeah, and it was my reality. I was thinking, I’m retiring. I’m never going to do this again, you know. No, I won’t,” Emmett said.
He described how multiple factors contributed to his change of heart. The process started with industry recognition and media exposure.
“But then one thing happens, then another thing happens, then all the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame says, hey, you guys want to go in? Oh, okay. And then, oh, Round Hill puts out the tribute album, and it kind of makes some noise. And then, oh, and then Rogers decides, oh, Lay It On The Line for the hockey playoffs. And so now, all the way across the country, everybody’s going, holy crap, Triumph, Lay It On The Line,” he continued.
Emmett also shared how discovering that a new generation was connecting with Triumph’s music influenced his decision.
“And a whole new generation, I had people send me texts, and I’m not making this up, like the guy that is the D’Addario strings guy, you know. And he goes, here’s a picture of my nephews, you know, they’re eight years old. And he goes, they were watching the hockey, and they heard your song, and they got out Shazam, and they go, who is this? And then they go, hey, Uncle Larry, do you know the guy? Yes, I do know that guy. And it’s like, he sends me the pictures of the kids, and you just go, there’s this buzz that’s kind of happening, and it’s lifting the tides. It’s lifting and lifting. And then there’s stuff coming in on the tide,” Emmett explained.
The guitarist revealed that his bandmate Gil Moore had been planning to move forward with Triumph performances regardless of his participation.
“And Gil had always wanted to sort of put a Triumph thing together and take it back out and have, you know, big production. He dreams big dreams, and he wanted to have holograms, and he was going to go ahead and do it, whether I was involved as a human being or not. Because he could use me as a hologram, or use me as a, you know, AI was going to create a riff. So I went, hey, go for it,” he said.
Emmett concluded by describing how management convinced him to return. He drew parallels to Peter Frampton’s successful comeback.
“But then it’s like, hey, I’ve talked to this guy, Jason Marie, at Factor Management, and then, you know, he does Peter Frampton. And you know, Frampton was gonna die, but then he decided, no, I’m going to play some shows, and then the shows went good. And he went, you know what? Get me more shows because this, the tide is rising for Peter Frampton. And they come to me and go, Rik, the tide, we want to raise the tide for you. And I go, okay, talk to me. And he kind of talked me into it,” Emmett concluded.
Emmett’s decision to reunite with Triumph comes after decades of separation from his former bandmates. This marks a significant milestone for the Canadian rock legends.
Guitar Player reported that the full original lineup of Emmett, Gil Moore, and bassist Mike Levine last toured together in 1988 before Emmett’s departure over musical differences. The band had only brief reunifications since then. These included performances at notable festivals like Sweden Rock and Rocklahoma in 2008.
The reunion gained momentum following a three-song performance at the 2025 Rogers Festival in Edmonton. AXS TV noted that this marked their first public performance in 17 years. The performance featured Emmett and Moore alongside Phil X, Brent Fitz, and Todd Kerns, though Mike Levine sat out the performance.
The renewed interest in Triumph has culminated in their most ambitious project in decades. Blabbermouth revealed that the band announced their first full tour in over 30 years. This 50th anniversary North American run kicks off April 22, 2026, in Ontario with all three original members participating.
CBS Austin detailed that Triumph’s story began in Toronto in 1975. A spontaneous jam session between the three musicians sparked the chemistry that would define one of Canada’s most influential rock bands for decades to come.
