Hot Time in Toronto That Night... with Triumph

Two necks are better than one!

Triumph's Allied Forces tour show in Toronto, 1981, was my very first arena concert, the biggest thing I'd seen besides bands playing in my high school's gym. And it just happened to fall on New Year's Eve, and was probably my most memorable New Year's Eve ever, especially since I was completely sober that night. That sure helps in the memory department.

I was in awe of the masses of people funnelling through the doors of Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens, and spilling out into their arena seats before the lights went down. There was a strange aroma in the air. Hmmmm. My best friend at the time accompanied me to see Triumph, one of our favourite Canadian bands at the time. The guy sitting next to us (not a friend) was eating pumpkin seeds throughout the concert, and he was nice enough to share them with us. Heh.

My trusty old Stages cassette... this live

album was released a few years later, 

after the studio follow-up Thunder Seven

Toronto-based power trio Triumph was one of those bands that was really big mainly because of the exceptional talents of just one member - at least in my opinion. Rik Emmett, guitar hero, was who we were really there to see. Emmett was a great vocalist (singing AND performing his guitar magic), songwriter, and showman. The light show blew me away. The big BIG sound captivated me. Rik raced around the stage like a maniac, all the while pumping out his exciting brand of guitar rock. And we all went nuts when he took his extended guitar solo in the midst of the song Rock And Roll Machine. The stage went dark except for a few beams of coloured light aimed directly at Rik, as he played an array of musical pieces, all strung together seamlessly.... from mesmerizing classical guitar to mind-shattering electric soloing and rib-rattling heavy chord riffs. Favourites were Lay It On The Line, Allied Forces, Magic Power, and Hold On.

I had hoped that Rush would be my first big concert, but since that didn't happen, this was the next best thing. Pictured below are some of my souvenirs from that night all those years ago.

Concert souvenirs: tour program, ticket stub

and logo button