I saw the same Houston/Sugar Land show and I agree with your comments. No it wasn't quite Triumph of the 70s or 80s, but it was very enjoyable. And having seen Triumph in 83 and 85, I can say the sound was much better in 2026.

I actually found this show very emotional, not only for hearing the songs again after sooooooo many years but also Rik's comments about why he agreed to tour and what the songs and fans meant to him. And yeah, I am sure Live Nation is paying them well but you could see and feel the excitement of Rik and Gil as well as the rest of the band felt about the songs and live performance. Everyone was having fun and it was an unforgettable show.

In some ways it was like a really good tribute band that was backing up the original artists ... and it really is. But boy could those three play and work around the limitations of voice and stamina of Rik and Gil. The show was just short of 2 hours long but gave both men an opportunity to rest in different parts of the show. Gil's voice is still very good but no denying that Todd's voice was a dead ringer for his younger voice and the extra drummer gave Gil a chance to step out in front to sing. As for Rik, his guitar skills are still excellent and his voice is good in a lower range. It has the same emotional timbre. But no denying Phil's voice was welcome for the original high tones and had the extra benefit of a second guitar for rhythm as Phil and Rik traded off. If I was to have any complaint, maybe allowing Rik to sing the majority of songs like Never Surrender, Magic Power and Fight The Good Fight meant they lacked a little power and luster of old. But it was trade off for emotional singing vs. original punch.

So I too recommend it.

P.S. I too enjoyed seeing April Wine. They maybe lacking the original singer and any true original members, but the songs and excitement were near perfect. I saw the same band in 2024 on the Monsters of Rock Cruise and they were just as good with hour setlist.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/2026 03:01AM by 5150.