TRIUMPH's GIL MOORE On Second Leg Of 'Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded' Tour: 'It Was Hard To Say 'No' To LIVE NATION When They Wanted To Extend It'

In a new interview with WNST and Baltimore Positive founder Nestor Aparicio, drummer/vocalist Gil Moore of legendary Canadian rockers TRIUMPH spoke about the upcoming leg two of the "Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded" tour, continuing the band's 50th anniversary in music. Following a resonant return to form, the first leg of the tour met with fan exuberance at every stop and resonated across social media, prompting the addition of 16 new shows across the United States due to popular demand. Special guest APRIL WINE will again join TRIUMPH for the newly announced dates.

The second leg will take TRIUMPH through major markets across the Midwest, Northeast, Southwest, and West Coast in November and December. The tour features guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett and Gil Moore, alongside guitarist Phil X, bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz. Original TRIUMPH bassist Mike Levine did not take part in the initial 2026 tour dates after revealing in December 2025 that he has "a problem" with his hand that "precludes" him "from being able to really play well." The newly announced run will culminate with December 10 and December 12 performances at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and at Viejas Arena in San Diego, respectively.

"I can't tell you how excited the band is and how the first leg was just, it was overwhelming how positive the vibe was in the audience, in the dressing room, on the bus, everywhere that you can imagine, in the airports," Gil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It was a love fest, the whole thing. And it was hard to say 'no' to Live Nation when they wanted to extend it, because we knew there were great cities that have been really loyal to TRIUMPH that we hadn't played yet. And it'd be nice if we could just play every single city and retrace our entire history. Of course, we're doing our best. We added 16 more. We did 27 the first round. So, yeah, we're getting up there in numbers. It's close to 60 shows."

Regarding his own expectations for the first leg of the tour and the fan response to the initial 27 dates, Gil said: "I think for me personally, it wasn't part of my game plan to get back and do a rock and roll tour. But then I got into it, and it was kind of like it grew on me so fast, and I thought, 'Wow.' If we weren't having such a blast, it would be different. If we were out there slogging it out, and people aren't getting along, and that kind of crap, I wouldn't be there. It's the fact that we had our families with us, and the band was just having a blast the whole time. And the audience, too. I mean, there were people crying at certain songs, and multi-generations in the audience. It was overwhelming, when you looked at the audience. The emotion coming to the stage from the audience was crazy, crazy different than… Back in the day, when it's all kids and everyone's cheering, and now you're seeing, hey, we've all spent decades together on the planet, but this music is pulling us back together in a positive way. So it was kind of overwhelming, honestly."

Asked what he could not have known about this a year ago that he knows now, Gil said: "How perfect the shows would be. And I don't mean perfect like we never made mistakes. Of course we made mistakes. We'd just laugh it off and grin at each other if somebody made a mistake. Perfect in the sense of the harmony of the audience, the band and our families. The total feeling of this one love that's in the venue that's unmistakable. I've never seen Rik Emmett as happy ever in my life. The guy hugged me a couple of times, and it brought tears to my eyes on stage. I couldn't take the emotion. Watching Phil X and Rik Emmett feed off each other. These guys are monster guitar players, but they have such respect for each other's playing. As a drummer, getting to work with Brent on every aspect of the drum kits themselves, of stick control exercises backstage, discussing this drummer and that drummer, and this type of rhythm and that type of rhythm. I've never had another drummer to collaborate with. Guitar players get this all the time, 'cause tons of bands have two guitar players. That's nothing new. But two drummers, pretty rare. And thankfully, to fill Mike Levine's shoes, you had to have somebody that was a monster stage presence, and Todd Kerns is that monster. And what a singer. I mean, Todd's vocals are incredible on top of how he plays bass, and a super human being. So I guess I'm going on and on here, but that's just what I really think."

As for what fans can expect to see during the second leg of the "Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded" tour, Gil said: " Well, we've got a lot of kind of three-dimensional or what we call two-and-a-half-D content, which I think is really, really cool, effects in the show. And we're gonna have some more upgrades on this leg, too. We had a lot of lasers back in the day, and we didn't have lasers on the first run. We just didn't have enough truck space. But with this tour or this run, this part of this tour, yeah, we're putting in a major laser infrastructure into what we're doing. So I think we're gonna have some really, really cool lasers. I'm working on trying to put in a couple old-school effects that we didn't carry on the first tour, 'cause they were considered too clunky and old school. And I'm, like, 'No, I think you need the old and the new.' I think you need the fancy video or I'll call it the the 3D or the two-and-a-half-D video. You need that. You need archival footage. Of course we have to have Mike involved in that footage as well if he's not playing. So all of that stuff combined, it's a great learning experience, and we're just polishing it a bit more. And like I said, we're adding some more pyro effects and some more laser effects and organic old-school stuff that I think is gonna be even better on this run."

Moore also confirmed that TRIUMPH is working on a new documentary about the legendary Canadian rockers' first tour in more than 30 years. It will follow TRIUMPH's first documentary, "Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine", which premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The 97-minute film, directed by Sam Dunn and Marc Ricciardelli for Banger Films, was in pre-production in 2019 with plans for a 2020 release, but the COVID-19 pandemic stalled those plans. But finally in 2022, TRIUMPH devotees around the world were able to see the documentary, which mixed interviews with the band, archival footage and ecstatic and emotional responses from the fans.

"The 'Rock & Roll Machine' documentary did really great things for us, and I felt like it was a great payback, too, to people that were kind of after us, 'cause we hadn't toured," Gil said. "But the documentary ends with a big question mark, as you know, and it's, like, 'Okay, what's next?' Well, that's why we're doing a part two, which is, 'Well, here's what's next. It's this band.' This is the 'Reloaded' band, and you're gonna see it full on. We've recorded it from the point of view of a fan. In other words, I went back to when I was a kid, and I wanted to be kind of backstage. I wanna see how did you set the drums up? Where did you guys come in the building? What's it like to be in the dressing room? All the stuff that you don't get to see when you're a fan. Well, I can remember being like that as a kid, so I thought, 'Okay, be a kid.' This is something that everyone's gonna wanna see, is wanna get on the tour bus with us and see what we talk about, listen to the jokes, all the things that you don't really get to see, the backstage maze, all of that. So as well as the actual show itself, there's gonna be all this behind-the-scenes footage, which I think's gonna be really special. I'm hoping we get it out in 2027, and we're continuing to record it on leg two, so anybody that comes to leg two, hey, you might end up in it. [Laughs]"

TRIUMPH has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket sold will support the SoundsUnite Charity — providing free music learning resources, music wellness, and collaboration tools to marginalized and at-risk youth.

Formed in Mississauga in 1975, TRIUMPH — Rik Emmett (guitar, vocals),Mike Levine (bass, keyboards) and Gil Moore (drums, vocals) — rose from playing high school auditoriums and rock n' roll bars to selling out iconic arenas, from Toronto's famed Maple Leaf Gardens to Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas . Their virtuosic musicianship, soaring vocals, and dazzling, high-production live shows were at the forefront of the definitive spectacle of arena rock.

Blending hard rock metal power with progressive intricacies , TRIUMPH sold over 15 million albums worldwide and earned 27 gold and platinum certifications, building a global following through headline tours and landmark festival performances, including the 1983 US Festival before 500,000 fans. With hits like "Lay It On The Line", "Allied Forces", "Magic Power", "Fight The Good Fight" and "Follow Your Heart" — combined with pioneering stage productions that set the bar for rock spectacles featuring pyrotechnics, laser lighting, and theatrical flair — TRIUMPH became arena rock legends, securing a permanent place in Canadian and international rock history.

The band's return to the road follows a defining year honoring TRIUMPH's impact across generations. In June 2025, the band was celebrated with "Magic Power: All-Star Tribute To Triumph" (Round Hill Records, June 6, 2025),a 15-track tribute album featuring rock luminaries such as Phil X, Sebastian Bach, Slash, Nancy Wilson, Joey Belladonna, Dee Snider, Lawrence Gowan, Deen Castronovo, Alex Lifeson, Jeff Keith, Mickey Thomas and produced by the world-renowned Mike Clink (GUNS N' ROSES, MÖTLEY CRÜE, WHITESNAKE).

Further solidifying their celebrated status, TRIUMPH was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame in October 2025, a prestigious honor recognizing their enduring influence, masterful songwriting, and contributions to Canada's cultural legacy. This induction adds to their long list of accolades, which includes membership in the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame (2007),the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame (2008),Canada's Walk Of Fame (2019) and Metal Hall Of Fame (2021).

TRIUMPH "Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded" tour leg 2 2026 North American tour dates with special guest APRIL WINE:

Nov. 17 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
Nov. 18 - Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center
Nov. 21 - Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
Nov. 22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
Nov. 24 - Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center
Nov. 25 - Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Arena
Nov. 27 - Indianapolis, IN @ Fishers Event Center
Nov. 28 - Springfield, MO @ Great Southern Bank Arena
Nov. 30 - Albuquerque, NM @ Rio Rancho Events Center
Dec. 01 - Las Vegas, NV @ Fontainebleau Las Vegas
Dec. 02 - Reno, NV @ Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort
Dec. 05 - Portland, OR @ Theater of the Clouds
Dec. 06 - Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
Dec. 08 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
Dec. 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Kia Forum
Dec. 12 - San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena

TRIUMPH is the legendary Canadian hard-rock power trio formed in Mississauga in 1975, featuring Rik Emmett, Mike Levine and Gil Moore. Known for musical mastery, innovation, and an unwavering connection to their fans, TRIUMPH's anthems — marked by hope, empowerment, and resilience — helped shape a generation and continue to resonate worldwide.

From local Ontario venues to sold-out arenas around the globe, TRIUMPH achieved international acclaim through headline tours and iconic festival performances, including the 1983 US Festival before 500,000 fans, the Texas World Music Festival, The World Series Of Rock and Day On The Green. Their hits — "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power", "Follow Your Heart" and "Fight The Good Fight" — combined with pioneering stage productions featuring pyrotechnics, laser lighting, and theatrical flair, were defining features of arena rock.

Selling over 15 million albums worldwide with 27 gold and platinum certifications, TRIUMPH has been inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame (2007),the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame (2008),Canada's Walk Of Fame (2019),the Metal Hall Of Fame (2024),CMW Legends Of Live (2024) and the Canadian Songwriter's Hall Of Fame (2025).