Rik Emmett recently addressed the status and future plans of the legendary rock band Triumph in an interview shared on Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk.
Emmett explained that while he and drummer Gil Moore remain capable of performing occasionally, a full touring schedule is not feasible for the band’s original members. He noted that bassist Mike Levine is also not interested in the demands of constant touring.
“Gil and I are capable of, from time to time, but if you think I’m gonna go out on the road and play night after night after night after night, that’s not gonna happen, you know,” Emmett said. “And Mike is not really… he’s getting frailer. He’s not looking to necessarily be banging around in airplanes and tour buses and stuff either.”
To address this challenge, Triumph has partnered with Vortex Management to develop a new touring model. The plan involves establishing a core trio of musicians—Brent Fitz, Phil X, and Todd Kerns—who would form the foundation of the band’s live performances.
Rik continued, “So the thinking is, find three guys that can become sort of the same, you know, core trilogy. And a lot of times what happens now with touring acts, they say, ‘Oh, they got a keyboard player that’s over behind the screen, or they got some background singer.’ You know, I mean, Pink Floyd would’ve the girl singers over there and you know, the large horn section over there. And so it’s not like you couldn’t supplement with side men and have it be that an audience would go, ‘Well that’s cool. That’s fine. They’re there.’ So, Triumph made a deal with Vortex Management, which is that guy Jason Murray from Canada. And they’ve done stuff like the Lynyrd Skynyrd things and Peter Frampton’s touring…’
“So Vector. So he said, ‘Rik, you know, we’re trying to put this thing together and it’s gonna be Gil Moore, the dreamer of Triumph, always was, production guy. Gil wanted to have the largest scale kind of show possible. He wants to play the Sphere, you know, he wants to have digital stuff and holograms and, you know, lasers and the whole, you know, shoot match.”
“And they go, ‘Well, you know, but it would need to be scalable.’ Like, you know, somebody has to be more of a realist and say, ‘What if you wanna do a Wednesday night in Milwaukee?’ The three core guys would be Brent Fitz, and Phil X and Todd Kerns. And part of it was, drag Rik on out to Edmonton and have Rik sort of vet how this is going down and whether or not he likes this situation and can he get along with the guys. And it was great. It was, I loved the guys and it was a fantastic experience.”
Emmett then said, “So it was kind of like, okay, passing the torch as you described. And then the manager, Jason Murray, says to me, ‘We wouldn’t need you on every show, but would you be willing to like, you know, six to eight shows you come out?’ And I went, ‘Yeah, that sounds reasonable. Sure. You know, if you need me to show up.’ And I said, is this kind of like the way, you know, Brian May would occasionally show up at one of the Queen Broadway shows and come up and then they went, ‘Yeah, yeah, I like that, Rik.’ I go, ‘Okay, yes, sure, you know, I’d be happy to do that, but I don’t wanna have to jump around on stage for two hours. I’m not gonna do that. You know?’ ‘Oh no, you don’t have to do that.’ So that’s what I know, that’s where it’s at. And the talk has been, oh, maybe March of 2026, there would be some launch dates. There’d be some stuff to see how it plays, you know.”
This innovative approach marks a significant evolution for the Canadian rock legends. Triumph formed in 1975 as a classic rock power trio, according to Wikipedia. The band created anthems like “Magic Power” and “Fight The Good Fight,” which became household names across North America. Their decision to restructure reflects both the passage of time and their commitment to keeping the music alive for their fans.
“The three core guys would be Brent Fitz, and Phil X and Todd Kerns,” Emmett explained. “And part of it was, drag Rik on out to Edmonton and have Rik sort of vet how this is going down and whether or not he likes this situation and can he get along with the guys. And it was great. It was, I loved the guys and it was a fantastic experience.”
The new touring model represents a groundbreaking concept envisioned by Gil Moore. Per Blabbermouth, Moore described this arrangement as “the first power trio with six people in it.” The original members would appear virtually alongside the live musicians, allowing the band to deliver a complete Triumph experience while accommodating the physical limitations of its founding members.
The timing of this announcement follows a significant milestone for the band. Triumph made their first public performance in seventeen years in June 2025 at the Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final game, as reported by AXS. This marked their return to the stage after a lengthy hiatus.
Under the new arrangement, Emmett would make selective appearances at approximately six to eight shows per year. This mirrors how Brian May occasionally performs at Queen Broadway shows. “We wouldn’t need you on every show, but would you be willing to like, you know, six to eight shows you come out?” the manager asked, to which Emmett agreed.
“I’d be happy to do that, but I don’t wanna have to jump around on stage for two hours. I’m not gonna do that,” Emmett said. “Oh no, you don’t have to do that.”
Triumph is targeting a launch date around March 2026 for this new touring model, according to Emmett. This will give fans the opportunity to experience the band in this innovative format.
