Went and saw Triumph at the Frost Bank Center on Thursday night. Good show!

Both bands had replacement (i.e. younger) members, either due to death or illness of the original members.

I didn't even know there was going to be an opening act, so I was pretty blown away when four guys walked out promptly at 8pm and ripped into "I Like to Rock". Holy Cow! It's April Wine! It was a nice surprise, and they did a good job. The new front man was a good guitar player and vocalist and did a good job on the set, except I didn't really recognize All Over Town until it was almost over. Good finishing 3 songs, but none matched the sound or energy of "I Like to Rock."

Triumph was without Mike Levine on bass. His shoes were filled by Todd Kerns, and Phil X augmented Rik Emmitt on lead guitar. Rik stepped back to more of a rhythm role on a few songs, but stepped up on others and displayed his still formidable chops. There were two drum kits, which allowed Gil Moore to step out front for several songs where he sang lead. The other drummer (Brent Fitz) played keyboards on several songs, and sometimes they had dual drums going. The old guys each took a few songs off and went backstage. Rik Emmitt even changed shirts on one break. It kinda detracted from the nostalgic feel, but I must say the young guys did a great job filling their roles. Phil X and Todd Kerns were both pretty impressive, and in the end, I'd say they integrated well, and it still felt like "an authentic Triumph show." I was always a big fan of Triumph and this is only the second time I've seen them. Glad I saw them again, for what I'm sure will be my last opportunity. If they swing by your city, and you're at all a fan, I'd say they're definitely worth going to see!

Here's the SAEN review https://www.expressnews.com/entertainment/article/triumph-san-antonio-concert-22272371.php for more detail.

Set lists:

April Wine - https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/april-wine/2026/frost-bank-center-san-antonio-tx-2b4c5402.html

Quote:

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I Like to Rock
Big City Girls
All Over Town
Say Hello
Enough Is Enough
Before the Dawn
Right Down to It
Just Between You and Me
Sign of the Gypsy Queen
Roller

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Triumph - https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/triumph/2026/frost-bank-center-san-antonio-tx-5b4c63ec.html

Quote:

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When the Lights Go Down
Somebody's Out There
Spellbound
Hold On
Allied Forces
Blinding Light Show
Rock & Roll Machine
Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh cover)
Never Surrender
Lay It on the Line
24 Hours a Day
Follow Your Heart
Magic Power

Encore:
I Live for the Weekend
Fight the Good Fight

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How was the light show and were there tons of pyrotechnics?

Seen Triumph three times back in the day. Glad they are still doing it. Always a good show,.

Great plan for taking breaks like that and using the young guys to make it a full show and not tax Gil and Rik as much.

I always called them "the other Canadian prog rock trio"

maroon barchetta said:

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How was the light show and were there tons of pyrotechnics?

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The Irving show was fantastic! Both bands sounded great, Rik Emmett's guitar prowess was something to behold and everyone just seemed to be reveling in the moment.

About pyro if you ever saw Triumph back in its heyday, you know the light show kept you constantly jumping out of your seat.

This time around is much more subdued. The band employs some sparklers to good effect, but there are no lasers or fireworks. The band did make great use of constant images on the video screens, which added nice visuals.

Kiddoc and I went to the show in Sugar Land last night and both bands were fantastic. We had seen Rik Emmitt in Cancun last November at The Sands event (even had a meet-n-greet with him) but it was an acoustic Q & A with Eddie Trunk. We had a feeling he enjoyed being back on the stage and sure enough, the tour was announced shortly after that.

maroon barchetta said:

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How was the light show and were there tons of pyrotechnics?

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Well, it was not a blinding light show! No lasers that I saw. There were screens with videos behind the band that kind of incorporated into the show, and large portrait oriented screens to each side where they showed closeups of the featured performer at the moment.

The picture above is a good capture of the pyro. They did that for maybe 5 seconds two or three times during the show, mostly toward the end. Not really a whole lot to talk about, imo.

That's Phil X to the left. I had never seen him, and was definitely impressed. Good guitar and surprisingly good vocals! I thought he actually sounded a lot like Gil, but he did help Rik out some, and did that well, too. Todd Kerns was also impressive. Really tall and had a good physical presence. Did a lot to get the crowd up and into the show. He also was good on vocals, both lead and backup. I had no idea there would be "non original" members in the show, and didn't even know Mike Levine was out. So my initial surprise to see 3 unfamiliar dudes on stage did not turn into disappointment at all. I thought the dual drum kits were not needed, but the second drummer was a good addition to the group because he handled the drumming when Gil took a well-deserved trip to the front of the stage on his lead singing songs. And he played keyboards on quite a few songs while Gil was behind his kit.

I'm repeating myself, I guess, but I was glad I got to see Triumph again, and recommend it! I always thought Triumph were some of the good guys in rock. Eh?

LOVE Zebra. 3.V is a great album from beginning to end.

Here's a great set from Zebra when they opened for Journey