'Fun getting back on the bicycle:' Triumph drummer Gil Moore on first tour in 30 years
· Toronto Sun
Triumph’s decision to lay it on the line — in terms of heading back out on the road in 2026 for the first time in 30 years for the band’s 50th anniversary tour — came after a series of serendipitous accidents, says drummer-singer Gil Moore.
Although the ‘70s Mississauga hard rock band’s signature hit, Lay It On the Line , becoming the unofficial NHL anthem during 2025’s playoffs — and an offer to play the 1979 song during Game 2 in Edmonton — certainly didn’t hurt.
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“You’re correct in calling it an accident, “said Moore, 73, down the line from the band’s production rehearsals recently at the Hard Rock hotel in Orlando, Fla., before a Make-A-Wish benefit show on April 10.
“I’ve said publicly many, many times that I would never go back on the road again (because I wanted to spend time with my family).”
Believe it or not, Moore first asked Triumph lighting director Paul Dexter in 2019 if the band — who sold 15 million albums since their 1975 formation — could be brought back in hologram form.
That was a no, although a crew will be filming the new Triumph tour for a documentary as a sort of sequel to 2021’s Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine by co-director-editor Marc Ricciardelli, who the band is working with again.
“Then after we had our tribute album (started in 2019, released in 2025), which again was caused by not touring, producer (Mike Klink) said ‘Why don’t you use some people who worked on the record (for a tour)?’”
While (guitarist) Phil X , who replaced original axeman-singer Rik Emmett in Triumph around 1990, was open to it, tour plans didn’t start to solidify until what Moore calls “the Canadian hockey phenomenon.”
“As a kid growing up hockey was everything for me, everything,” said the drummer. “But I thought this is a really good opportunity to get close to the Stanley Cup. I may be driving the Zamboni but at least I’m there. We literally had one rehearsal for two and half hours the evening before the (Edmonton) performance and we went and played and then all of the sudden Live Nation is lighting up the phones going ‘You have to tour.’”
Thus the 10-city Canadian tour — dubbed Triumph’s Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded Tour — officially begins on April 22 with fellow Can-rock act April Wine opening and includes a hometown Toronto show on April 24 at Scotiabank Arena followed by a 15-city U.S. trek.
Moore says it’s hoped original bassist-keyboardist Mike Levine, 76, who missed the Edmonton NHL performance due to a doctor’s appointment, “will perform at select shows,” as the band states on triumphmusic.com.
Original member facing health challenges
“Mike’s been facing some health challenges,” said Moore. “He’s not here (now) but we’re hoping that he’s going to be able to join us. But we really don’t know. For him, it’s a game-time decision, based on his doctors and his health.”
And if he can’t play at the Toronto show, at the very least he’ll be in the crowd.
“Whether he’s going to be on the stage, or whether he’s going to be in the box looking at us, that’s going to be his decision,” said Moore. “That’s the backup plan if he can’t perform. He’ll still be there with his family. We’ve got a box held at the venue.”
In the meantime, Moore and Emmett, 72, previously rehearsed for the tour on their own for about two-three weeks at Moore’s studio, Metal Works, in Mississauga, Ont.
Then touring musicians — Phil X, bassist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz (both from Slash’s band) joined them — and they learned about 17 songs.
“Everybody got together — the boys flew in from the states — we went at it hard for two weeks, it was a lot of fun,” said Moore.
Moore said because Emmett still extensively toured after he left Triumph in 1988 it’s been an easier adjustment for his bandmate to pick back up again.
“I’ve not been on the concert stage for a long time but, I don’t know, it’s been fun getting back on the bicycle,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s completely natural. I’ve had to woodshed really hard.”
It was inner-band friction that caused Emmett to leave to pursue more progressive music as a solo artist and Phil X filled in for one album before Triumph effectively disbanded in 1993.
“We had a family squabble, we got over it in 2006, so it’s been 20 years,” said Moore, adding he, Emmett and Levine have regular Christmas dinners.
“It’s kind of unfortunate that we didn’t agree on things then but it’s like every family, you have a squabble, hopefully you get over it. And in this case, we got over it. We were buds again.”
Moore said a lot of the mend-making came leading up to the band’s 2007 induction into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame followed by the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (2008), and later Canada’s Walk of Fame (2019).
“All these reasons to get together and have a laugh,” he said. “So it’s been a really good ride since 2006.”
COMEBACKS A REAL RUSH
It somewhat feels like the mid-’70s in terms of Canadian music with both Triumph and Rush staging comeback tours in the same year.
Both are hard-rock trios from Toronto who came up around the same time with frequent comparisons.
“I think it’s an incredible coincidence” said Triumph drummer-singer Gil Moore.
“I’ve seen stuff on social media like ‘It’s a rigged game. They planned it.’ It’s like, ‘No!’ I can’t speak for (Rush guitarist) Alex (Lifeson) and (Rush singer-bassist) Geddy (Lee), how it came together, why they decided what they decided but it had nothing to do with us. They’ve been fantastic ambassadors for Canadian musicians, always have been, always will be. So I applaud them for what they’re doing.”
As for new Rush drummer and German virtuoso Anika Nilles (Jeff Beck) filling in for Neil Peart, who passed in 2020, Moore was impressed with what he’s seen so far as the trio made their debut performing, Finding My Way , opening the 2026 Juno Awards on March 29.
“She’s absolutely incredible,” said Moore. “She’s a great, great drummer. Anybody trying to step in after Neil Peart, not only was he great, but he was so distinct in his contribution to Rush’s music, so in my mind I can’t sort of separate Neil from Rush and their music. And so I think for any drummer – talk about a tough task. That’s got to be one of the toughest gigs out there. And from what I saw, which was at the Junos, seeing that song, with Rush, I thought, ‘Holy mackeral! This is really something!’ Yeah, she’s knocking it out of the park in my opinion. And good for her. If anybody should give her flak (for being a girl), they should shut up because she’s cutting the mustard. She lit it up and she killed it.”
Nilles is on the road for Rush’s 2026 Fifty Something Tour that has four dates in August at Scotiabank Arena plus two stops in Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton in the fall.
Triumph 2026 Canadian tour dates
April 22 – Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., GFL Memorial Gardens
April 24 – Toronto, Scotiabank Arena
April 25 – Hamilton, Ont., TD Coliseum
April 28 – Halifax, Scotiabank Centre
April 29 – Moncton, N.B., Avenir Centre
May 1 – Laval, Que., Place Bell (Montreal)
May 2 – Ottawa, Canadian Tire Centre
May 5 – Winnipeg, Canada Life Centre
May 7 – Edmonton, Rogers Place
May 8 – Calgary, Scotiabank Saddledome
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