Triumph drummer and vocalist Gil Moore discussed how the band’s new, expanded lineup will split vocal and instrumental duties on their upcoming reunion tour.
The original power trio — Moore, singer/guitarist Rik Emmett and bassist Mike Levine — will be joined by drummer Brent Fitz, bassist Todd Kerns and guitarist Phil X when they embark on the Rock & Roll Machine Reloaded tour in April with support from April Wine. Fitz and Kerns are both longtime members of Slash‘s solo band, while X currently plays with Bon Jovi and had a stint with Triumph in the early ’90s.
In a new interview with the Metal Voice (which you can watch below), Moore was quick to assuage any doubts about whether Triumph’s original members would be playing at every show.
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“Well, for starters, Mike, like we’ve said from the beginning, he’s got some health challenges,” Moore said. “But, man, I’ll tell you what: He wants to be there. He’s got the spirit and the will. He’s part of the brotherhood, of course. So when I say we’re a brotherhood, he’s the number one brother, and we’re hoping that he’s gonna be at as many shows as possible. But I can’t predict that part of it.
“As far as Rik and I are concerned,” Moore continued, “unless we get hit by a bus, we will be on the bus. We will be at every show. We will be playing all the way through every show.”
Triumph’s Rock and Roll Machine Reloaded 2026 Tour Poster
Triumph 2026 Tour
Gil Moore Says Additional Triumph Touring Members ‘Are Not Sidemen’
Moore also insisted that Fitz, Kerns and X would get their time in the spotlight on Triumph’s upcoming tour.
“When you’ve got guys like Phil and Todd and Brent, these guys are not sidemen,” he said. “That is not who we’re talking about here. We’re talking about guys that are rock stars, big time, in their own right. I mean, what Brent and Todd have done with Slash, what Phil’s done with Triumph or what he’s done with Bon Jovi subsequently … I mean, Rik and I are not puck hogs, OK? So these guys are gonna shine in this show. And we would be idiots not to let them do that. These guys are great players and great singers, so we’re gonna share the stage. We’re not gonna hog the stage.”
Moore said the band has a “template, obviously, like who’s gonna sing which song or blah blah blah,” but plans are subject to change once they rehearse in a large venue with a full-scale sound and lighting rig.
“Just think of guitars, for example,” he said. “You got two guys like Phil and Rik. When they get together, they’re, like, ‘Hey, man, you take it.’ And, ‘No, no. You’re doing better than me. You take it.’ They’re just passing it back and forth, back and forth like this. And then, when they start playing together, holy crap. It’s amazing. So, it’s gonna be a lot of fun working out those parts.”
Touring with two drummers will also be a first for Triumph, and it could allow Moore to spend more time singing at the front of the stage.
“Rik is talking about wanting me to sing up front as well,” Moore said. “I never could really do that well in Triumph before because you have no drums. Now we have drums. So I don’t know if that’s gonna happen until we get in a rehearsal environment and then we see, how does it feel? And no wine before its time.”
READ MORE: Exclusive: How Triumph’s Reunion Tour Happened
Triumph’s Expanded Lineup Is ‘More Honest Than Having Backing Tracks’
Shortly after Triumph announced their reunion tour, Kerns shared his thoughts on the trek and explained his preference for recruiting additional band members instead of using backing tracks.
“It’s been awesome seeing all the excitement about the upcoming Triumph tour,” the bassist wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s an ongoing work in progress. Rik and Gil will be on stage nightly. Mike will be there when he can. The fact that they’ve chosen to augment the group with Phil X, Brent Fitz and myself is simply because it’s more honest than having backing tracks etc. In this day and age it’s much more common than you know.
“I will be doing my best to hold down what I can in Mike’s absence here and there while Phil will be building guitar orchestration with the mighty Rik Emmett,” Kerns added. “Fitz’s presence is a big part of the gigantic vision of Gil Moore. He wants this to be an experience. Even Don Henley has a second drummer with the Eagles. All of the older groups have augmented their lineups with additional musicians. Even Bon Jovi has extra dudes up there. All I know is that Triumph 2026 is promising a state of the art show with a knockout set list that I can’t wait to dig into.”
Listen to Gil Moore’s Interview on the Metal Voice
Triumph Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Triumph claimed a unique spot in the progressive heavy-rock landscape, rising from unheralded upstarts to arena headliners within just a few years.
Gallery Credit: Eduardo Rivadavia
