TRIUMPH
Rock & Roll Machine,
RELOADED
50th
Anniversary
By Carlos Zaldívar
Half a
century of history. Two hours of pure adrenaline.
A
perfect storm of nostalgia and electric power!
Never
before have I felt so ecstatic.
 |
| The Tour, Sugar Land, Houston, TX. |
Ah, how I miss Myles
Goodwyn! And with these events, the question is whether the band should
disband, out of respect for him, or continue as a tribute to him. Myles was APRIL
WINE, the very band that opened for TRIUMPH's superb concert on May
22nd at the SMART FINANCIAL CENTRE.
And well, Brian Greenway
decided to turn APRIL WINE into a Myles tribute band; he made a wise decision
to continue the legacy of the great Canadian band.
My soul, body, and mind
were already entering a strange emotional state; I felt ants everywhere, with
crabs trying to climb up my new sneakers, tear them, and scale my long legs to
reach my heart, rip it out, and devour it.
 |
| So excited! |
And
suddenly, at eight o'clock sharp, the lights went out, and wow! "I LIKE TO
ROCK" started, and it was like an assault on my emotions, and memories of
elementary school began to flood back. And to this moment they added an extra
touch of excitement, because they threw in "HAIR OF THE DOG" by
Nazareth.
Then
came "BIG CITY GIRLS" and the fabulous "ALL OVER TOWN," and
the image of "THE NATURE OF THE BEAST" was already flashing through
my mind, a great album whose copies I own in both domestic and imported
versions. A cult classic, a tradition, full of enormous memories from
elementary and high school.
Seeing
this band there at the SMART FINANCIAL CENTRE already meant having achieved a
goal I never thought would happen, and even better, there was still TRIUMPH
to come.
 |
| Happy & nervous! The Smart Financial Centre, Sugar Land |
Then
came the hits “SAY HELLO,” “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” and “BEFORE THE DAWN,” with
Brian on vocals, and boy, did he rock it.
APRIL
WINE gave a
very brief masterclass from their golden era, in just forty-five minutes, and
finally closed with “RIGHT DOWN TO IT,” the phenomenal “JUST BETWEEN YOU AND
ME,” which brought back memories of that junior-year crush; and the beautiful
cover of Lawrence Hud’s “SIGN OF THE GYPSY QUEEN,” which was pure ecstasy and a
flood of memories, and the lights came on as “ROLLER” finished.
APRIL
WINE, amen.
 |
| 50th Anniversary. Rock & Roll Machine |
And
then CRONOS picked up the pace, and finally the lights went out again at
precisely nine o'clock at night. The first "power trio," made up of
six members, appeared, and these were Rik Emmet's words. It was a moment when
my body, absolutely everything, went into a trance, and every pore of my skin
prickled, every neuron within me imploded exponentially.
And
the first thing that caught my attention was that there were two drummers, wow.
Yes, two drummers, and I didn't think they would be such wonderful protagonists
in the next two hours.
Rik
and Gil on stage; Mike behind the scenes, are the creators of this mega-band
that has left me speechless and in awe for fifty years. Legendary, and
underrated, I dare say they're already a cult band, for discerning ears, not
for just any human being on this planet.
TRIUMPH, from Canada, to Houston.
The
images projected at the SMART FINANCIAL went straight to my heart and tore it
to pieces, and from that moment on I became the most docile and vulnerable
being, sentimentally, just like in those innocent elementary school years.
Rik
spoke and they began with "TIME CANON" as an introduction, before
launching into the sublime musical journey with "WHEN THE LIGHTS GO
DOWN," and then the applause, the tears, and the sing-alongs erupted in
the Sugar Land venue.
The
tingling sensation never ceased.
- “I hadn’t planned on doing this tour a year ago. But my wife motivated me, and I got off the couch, and here we are, celebrating 50 years of TRIUMPH” – Rik Emmet.
 |
| My Ticket. |
 |
| My T-Shirt. |
In fact, as I write these
humble lines, tears well up, threatening to spill down my cheeks again. And I
think of you, who accompanied me, albeit virtually, on this journey.
Then came “HOLD ON”, a
wonderful song, and as it ended, images from that intro, still unsurpassed to
this day, simulating an air raid, appeared—it was “AIR RAID”. Then, in half a
second, they launched into “ALLIED FORCES”, and damn, it was another peak
moment, remembering that black LP we opened at school, and how that afternoon
we went to my house to transfer those songs to a PIONEER cassette. A great era
and a fantastic song because it reminded me of my friends, the very ones who
should be here, but are absent from this spectacular moment. ALLIED FORCES
marked a wonderful stage in my life.
1981 was spectacular.
Gil was in his element, and to
get him more involved on stage and with the vocals, they brought in Brent Fitz
with another drum kit and additional keyboards to provide percussion support.
Rik still sings well, but the high notes are becoming a bit of a challenge for
him, so they brought in Todd Kerns to sing and play bass; and they also hired
Phil X (known for his work with Bon Jovi) to play the other guitar. And I'll
repeat Emmet's words: "We're the first six-piece power trio." And
what a perfect sound they delivered; obviously, with top-notch equipment and
stage setup.
By the way, they raffled off an
electric guitar signed by these three great musicians, and during the
announcement of this event, two young men were present, who turned out to be
Rik and Gil's son and daughter. Wow, I was stunned by the impact of time on the
band's life, by the relevance they've had in the world of music and in Canadian
culture, where they are widely recognized.
They continued with
"BLINDING LIGHT SHOW" and a long and spectacular song, the tour's
title track, "ROCK & ROLL MACHINE", which sent my mind into an
emotional trance, bringing back memories of those albums from the seventies.
Images, music, watching two
drummers give it their all with passion and madness. These were moments that
are now etched in my brain.
Then they launched into a cover
of Joe Walsh's "ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY", and followed it with another
emotional hit: "NEVER SURRENDER", with a powerful message applied to
themselves, and they never gave up; there they were, the three of them.
From the moment I bought my
ticket, I knew "LAY IT ON THE LINE" had to be on the setlist. It's a
song from the 1978 album "JUST A GAME", and I never thought its
lyrics would resonate with me so deeply, as they do now in 2026, because it was
dedicated to you, the one who made me waste so much time. It's a song I adore
and that fascinates me, because in addition to school memories, it evokes
memories from my youth and more recent ones, like failed romances. That was precisely Emmet's intention when he wrote it. For me, it was
the perfect ending to this day.
Gil jumped, sang, played the
drums, and ran all over the stage, just like in TRIUMPH's heyday. Then it was
time for a snippet of "24 HOURS A DAY" as an intro to launch into a
fantastic ballad, "FOLLOW YOUR HEART", accompanied by a very moving
speech from Rik.
And almost at the end, "MAGIC POWER" was a must, dedicated to all my friends, contacts, students, and alumni, because it's an anthem to friendship and brotherhood; because we make every moment magical, we empower it, and that's exactly how I felt during this song, with a magical power that motivated me to be here in this beautiful city of Houston.
And to close with a flourish, the encore featured "I LIVE FOR THE WEEKEND" and the extraordinary "FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT" provoking me to a high-caliber cerebral orgasm, finally stopping the bleeding from the soul tattoo Rik, Gil, and Mike had inflicted.
And although they didn't play
"ORDINARY MAN", "WORLD OF FANTASY" or my favourite,
"IF ONLY" which I was sure they wouldn't, that song and its lyrics
still move me.
They delighted us for a little
over two hours, delivering emotional impact after emotional impact. It was a
brutal setlist, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a torrent of feelings whose
weight crushed my heart and soul. They were incredibly cherished memories, and
above all, it was like reliving the seventies and eighties.
TRIUMPH, forever and ever. And it was
that I went through my entire life from primary school, middle school and high
school; in just this period. The lights came on, I finished my beer, I sat back
down and was stunned, I was motionless trying to analyze what had happened
tonight. At this moment, as I write these lines, it is impossible to know with
certainty.
I don't know how much time
passed, until I felt the room empty.
So, I went out, and I walked
without sense, simply out of inertia I walked down Lexington Boulevard for long
minutes; and minutes later, I ordered my Lyft and returned to my AirBnB.
TRIUMPH, amen.
A thousand, a thousand thanks
to my beloved Claudia, who, even virtually, accompanied me on this beautiful
four-day adventure to Houston.
Carlos
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