By Robert C. Maxfield II, all photos by Robert C. Maxfield II.
Canadian hard rock power trio Triumph recently brought their Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded 50th Anniversary Tour, along with the band April Wine, to the Toyota Music Factory Pavilion in Irving. It had been 17,419 days since I photographed the original Rock and Roll Machine tour at McFarlin Auditorium at Southern Methodist University.
It’s hard to imagine it has been that long, but I remember the show like it was yesterday. When I saw the advertisements and schedules, I was genuinely excited. Back in 1978, a friend and I were watching television on a Saturday night before the show when a commercial suddenly appeared on the screen. There were pyrotechnics, smoke, and wild rock music everywhere. We looked at each other and said, “What are you doing tomorrow? Wanna go?”
The next day, we ended up at the box office of McFarlin Auditorium to see a band we had never heard of and knew absolutely nothing about other than that commercial. I walked up to the window and asked the lady for the best seat in the house. Row G on the floor — six bucks. It sounds crazy today, but back then that was a lot of money.
The openers for the McFarlin show were The Godz, a band from Ohio that had just signed with Casablanca Records. They were a totally new experience for us as well. I already knew about Casablanca Records because of the KISS albums I owned at the time. After their performance, we moved right to the edge of the stage in front of Triumph bassist Mike Levine, and I stayed there most of the night.
What happened next made Triumph one of my favorite bands of the ’70s and ’80s. The show was everything I imagined it would be. There were pyrotechnics, smoke, and incredible rock music. If I remember correctly, Gil Moore had a flame canister mounted to the front of his drum kit that shot huge streams of fire into the air. The energy of the performance was unbelievable and made it one of the best concerts I can remember.
So here is where I need to apologize to Rik Emmett. Rik walked up to the front of the stage while playing and turned to look directly at me. I snapped his photograph right at that moment and probably blinded him for two days. I knew nothing about photography at the time other than wanting to capture the moment. I was using a Keystone Instamatic camera with a built-in flash and Kodak 126 film. I hope he approves of the photos from this latest show and story as well.
The last thing I remember from the 1978 show was Triumph playing “Rocky Mountain Way” twice as an encore and that it was the only song they knew left to play.
Little did I know that years later I would become a staff photographer for Buddy Magazine and have the opportunity to cover the 50th Anniversary show. I was stunned, honored, and incredibly happy to document the performance for the magazine and celebrate the occasion.
The Reloaded Anniversary show did not disappoint, although it may have initially confused some Triumph purists. Instead of the traditional power trio walking on stage, five musicians appeared. There were two drum sets, keyboards, and no Mike Levine on bass.
What fans witnessed was the addition of Phil X (Theofilos Xenidis), former Triumph guitarist from 1992 to 1993 and current guitarist for Bon Jovi. Sharing drum duties with Gil Moore and handling keyboards was Brent Fitz, while Todd Kerns handled bass duties. Both are members of Slash solo band. Mike Levine is currently performing only a limited number of shows for health reasons. I definitely missed seeing Mike, as his stage presence has always been a huge part of Triumph.
The Toyota Music Factory came alive with giant video screens filled with machine-themed graphics, along with pyrotechnics, smoke, and the great music I expected. The venue was packed, and the back walls were opened for outdoor seating. The fans are still there, and so is the music. Forty-eight years later, Triumph still rocks and continues to put on an unbelievable show.
Congratulations to the band, and thanks for the incredible memories.
