Fans of Triumph “held on to their dreams” by waiting in excess of 20 years for a reunion show. Why then, do you suppose, when the band finally decided to indulge them, did they choose to do it in Sweden? Well, guitarist Rik Emmett poignantly addresses that question in the opening liner notes of the CD/DVD package. However, this offers little consolation for the millions of US and Canadian fans who would have traded a kidney for a Triumph reunion tour, just a tad closer to home. At any rate, the historic event, which took place on June 7, 2008, has finally been released as a CD/DVD set and contains the 10 song performance, along with minimal behind the scenes footage and an excerpt from the Sweden Rock Press Conference.
Joining Rik Emmett, drummer Gil Moore and bassist Mike Levine on stage is guitarist Dave Dunlop. Dunlop has long performed alongside Rik, and is quite a talented player in his own right. His ferocious fretwork is prominently displayed during Triumph’s infamous cover of Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” and is playfully rivaled by Rik’s incredible skills throughout the remainder of the performance. Although Triumph was a 3-piece outfit, the band often chose to bring along a second guitarist for live performances to enrich their sound and assist in recreating the intricacies of the studio recordings.
“The Blinding Light Show,” which Emmett has often cited as a song he doesn’t take too seriously, is always well-received by fans, as was the case in Sweden. However, it is worth noting that the crowd appeared very, very subdued during Triumph’s entire set, except for a few moments of jubilation at the beginning of “Magic Power,” and the occasional tongue wagging fan the camera chose to zoom in on. This doesn’t make for a very exciting visual on a live DVD. So again, the whole Sweden thing is puzzling.
The only thing missing from this nostalgic performance is the plethora of pyro, lasers, dry ice and, of course, the mega Triumph sign that dropped from the rafters right before the climactic bridge in “Fight the Good Fight;” ahhhh, 1983…where has the time gone? Ok, I digress, and I understand that it costs a small fortune to put on a production like that.
As a longtime fan of Triumph, I would have liked to have seen some performances from the Rocklahoma Festival included in this offering, as it served as the only other reunion show the band performed that year, and since. I was lucky enough to have been there, and trust me; the press conference at Rocklahoma was a lot more entertaining!
Taking into consideration that a full blown Triumph reunion tour is about as likely as Snookie winning a Pulitzer prize, I guess we’ll keep “holding on to our dreams” and hitting the replay button on the DVD player to tide us over.
