The Story of Triumph's Legendary Performance at The US Festival 

They might have been sober and fought the good fight against all the American dirtbags, but everyone else had fun that day. As for talent, van halen had more than triumph could ever hope to.

​@@ericandrews1661Not so. Van Halen had an effing clown instead of a singer. Dirtbag Dave couldn't be trusted to hold Rik's jockstrap, f f s

​​@@ericandrews1661Not true at all. Rik's playing is just as technical as Eddie's, maybe even more so. Go listen to their deeper cuts and not just Magic Power and Lay it on the Line. EVH is an icon for a reason and I'm not taking anything away from him. But even if I'm wrong, your use of the phrasing "could even hope to", is a gross misstatement.

@@ericandrews1661 says someone who clearly wasn't there that day

I guess I understand Van Halen fanboism in as much as their music was more mainstream than Triumph's. However, the honest person who has seen both bands knows that Triumph is superior by nearly every empirical metric. Whereas David Lee Roth couldn't recreate his studio voice and sounded like an imposter, Rik Emmett and Gil Moore were vocally more dynamic live than in the studio. And Eddie Van Halen? One heck of a guitarist, but tapping has turned out to be not technically as difficult as traditional guitar. And Emmett's solos were a song or their own, while Eddie's were a series of riffs to show off his speed. EVH's guitar solos were impressive in speed but not musically. And Triumph was as tight as most of the day's rocker's jeans. Van Halen sounded drunk because they were. I've seen VH 4 times and Triumph 14. Comparing VH to Triumph live is a losing proposition for Van Halen fans. To their credit, VH was more commercially successful than Triumph. But if you want to go that route, than Michael Jackson was king of the '80s.@@ericandrews1661

Me too. I was up front for Triumph with some chick on my shoulders. What a time that was.

I was there when I was 17 years old as well. I was a Canadian rocker kid from Calgary and my brother win tickets off the radio and took me !!. We made our home base by that huge Canadian flag that was there everyday. I knew all their songs but it was so great to be in a crowd we're not everybody did but they sure did love it !!!

I tell people that all the time. Rick Emmett's Voice cut thru the heat like a knife and his solo lowered the temperature and made me forget about how hot it was.

Judas priest

@@whiteninja9481 well they are from Canada thats prob why lots of great Canadian bands never got the attention they deserved American bands were bigger back then

Nothing underrated about this band

April Wine included.

I agree 200 %. And Rick Emmett probably one of the most underrated guitar players. Almost every guitarplayer who I talk to don't know who that guy is.

Not for me.. triumph rocks

Agreed i’ve recently watched Metal Day again and triumph and Judas Priest were the best “sounding” bands that day Totally on top there game and clear sound!

Better than the mighty van Halen?

Van Halen sucked as they always did in those days.

@@markc5771 lol...can't argue with that.

@@RichWards-Wins Out of all the shows that I've ever been to, Van Halen 1982 was without a doubt the worst. Sloppy and shitty and Daves whole "I forgot the fucking words" shtick was part of the show. He "forgot the fucking words" to the same song in Worcester that year. I call bullshit

Amen brother

I remember being about 15 and having an argument with some other kids about Triumph. They were claiming Triumph was like a pop version of rush. No! No they weren't. About the only thing they had in common with Rush, is they were a three piece band from Canada. Beyond that, they were all their own and awesome!

@@somersetcace1 #me too , I still have a old friend that bugs me about “Triush” .

Deep? Introspective? What planet are you living on? They were a fine band but you're going a little too deep there. As a guitar player I will say that nothing on their albums is 'amazing', especially when I have zero difficulty playing it. Look up the word 'sycophant', and don't be surprised when you see your picture there.

@@minkorrh Lol. Deep and introspective, as far as I'm concerned, is about lyrics that help you think about your thinking. Being emotionally intelligent. Do you have any idea what those words mean? Have you ever heard anything like that?

Yeah, me too. I was 16. Scorpions also played great. I came for Van Halen and Ed was out of this world. Unfortunately, Dave was drinking too much, JD straight out of the bottle as I recall, and forgetting lyrics in the middles of songs. Nevertheless, it was one hell of a party. I do remember thinking "that Triumph band was good" and later buying a tape of theirs and enjoying it. I don't remember any of the bands having an off day. Talk about rager.

No question they and the Scorpions took the show. Like you said. A day I’ll never forget!

I was 18 and now, 40 years later, I’m still convinced that there will never be anything close to that day ever again. Rob Halford doing doughnuts on a Harley onstage, Ozzy and Randy, DLR screaming “I FORGOT THE FUCKING WOOORRRRDS!!”, Alex’s drum solo and Eddie’s Eruption, omg so many epic things … And blowing everyone else away, the best band of the day, Triumph. No, the Scorps. No, Triumph. No…. Aaaaaahhh! I still can’t decide! I just know that 380K+ people were there, nobody died, hardly anyone was arrested, and it was the biggest squirt gun fight in the history of mankind, lol! I totally wish I still had the t-shirt.

@@paulweisgerber7654 Lots of great music that day for sure but that was Jake E Lee with Ozzy that day, sadly Randy had passed away…

Your a legend.

Oh yes.

Damn straight.

Absolutely 100%

He was a force onstage when I saw them live!!!!

And he looks like Keith Emerson!

As much as I understand your statement, I have to slightly disagree with your choice of words. Rik's problem is not that he is under rated (fans know how amazing he is), but his problem is that he was under exposed and not enough people have heard of him. If they had, then he would be up there with the best of the best. Semantics. Not a dis on your comment, I just wish more knew of him and Triumph.

RUSH was never underrated.

You are a lucky man. I would have been 11 and my older sisters went but they didn't drag me along. Who could blame them? But damn, you saw Scorps, Priest, and Triumph? Lucky man. And I've always loved Triumph

I was there too. 15 years old. Took the US Bus from Bakersfield.

Wow. Triumph and Scorpions at the same show. What a musical heaven.

@Mark Barajas.. It was Hell hot that day wasn't it?! It would kill me today, but at 14 it was fun

Awesome man . If you didn't go to high school in the late 70s early 80s you've missed the boat on Punk. Hardcore , rock,hard rock , and new Wave cuz anything else is poser shite

Hell yeah 😀😀

ꓕƎꟽꓘ

@@cazgerald9471 The Mighty MET.

Oh Jeez! How I miss those days of KLOS, KWEST and KMET. When they weren't afraid of getting proggy or heavy after 10pm. But KMET had Jim Ladd and "The Metal Shop/kMETAL", maybe one of the 1st ALL Metal programs in the nation on a major AOR FM station. Soooo many bands from the underground and semi-famous that I still listen to. Those days of that type of radio are LONG gone.

@@mvunit3 the Burner Mary Turner.

@@mvunit3 Jim Ladd was the last true DJ, Mary Turner went to their sister station in Chicago and was still there early 2000's not sure now, and Ladd did a show on radio Paradise.

Many many bands do it the same way. Gimmick? How about their spandex? Their limited amount of palatable music pales in comparison to many bands that do use "gimmicks". A woman wearing jewelry or makeup is a gimmick along with anybody wearing clothing. Its better to be forthright but a little flash is not grievous...too much, unlike the early mtv mantra, is more than enough.

@@cupoli138 whatever dude, you're nothing but a hater , period end of story

SKILLS. Talent alone does nothing, if not turned into skills! I hate that word talent, it is the most overrated word.

@@michaelcraig9449 I believe everyone has a talent... Most people never learn to tap into it...

Amazing that you were there!

Did your sunburn heal yet? 😁

Yeah buddy, Can't believe how long it's been. A few of us Metal head Marines hitched up from Pendleton. Still have the photos somewhere. What a blast from the past.

i was in the navy stationed in san Diego driove to sana Monica night before g ok t up at 7 headed to the show for heavy metalday traffic was backed up for miles one of the best days of my life

One of probably only three times in internet history where the underrated comment is actually accurate.

Thunder Seven is fucking gold!

@@scottsouter280 Absolutely so is Allied forces

The other, other, other 3 pc. band from Canada. (Rush, Triumph, Stampeders, Goddo) 😀🎶🎸🇨🇦

Triumph suffered from shitty production. When I was young I literally hated their thin, middy, guitar sound, but as an adult hearing the remastered songs, I was all in.

I was a 17-year-old rocker kid from Calgary and my brother won tickets off the radio to go to the US Festival and took me !!!. We made our home base by that huge Canadian flag that was there everyday.. What a great set Triumph had and everyone was really into it

Aldo Nova......now there’s a name that you don’t hear too often.....🤪❤️

That's crazy because I saw the same lineup at the Rose Bowl but, instead of Triumph it was Loverboy who I think is also a Canadian band. When I did a little searching it appears they played in June of 81 and July of 82 at the Rose Bowl and both shows had Triumph but, I could have sworn I saw Loverboy. I've never seen Triumph live. I'm pretty sure I saw the July 82 show but, that was along time ago.

@@RedBud315 Do you remember the trash fight? M-80’s being thrown around the audience and set off? This took place at the 1982 show on the Fourth of July weekend. Estimated crowd of around 90,000+. Surprisingly it was the last show of the Escape Tour. They did play at the Forum four nights in a row November 22-25 in 1981 earlier in the tour. The opening bands for those shows were, Point Blank Billy Squire The Greg Kihn Band Loverboy

I saw them 1 week before you. June 27 1982. Toledo Speedway. Foreigner, triumph, loverboy, Donnie iris. I could swear I remember Billy Squier playing that show also, but when I go back and look at the lineup he’s not on it. It’s all a little fuzzy

@@RedBud315 I was there and I remember it as being Loverboy instead of Triumph as well. But the other people I went with say it was Triumph. The fireworks show at the end was spectacular.

Damn you're lucky! Two of my fav bands

Nazareth! Hair of the Dog

I'm betting that show was in Canada...

Two great bands...love Triumph and we wore out Hair of the Dog in high school as well. Saw Triumph three times...first time in 79....saw Nazareth with Blackfoot in 80 or 81.....that was one hell of a show...Blackfoot kicked ass too!

Scorpions were (and still are) my all-time favorite band. I don't listen to them as much as I did in the past, but I followed their career closely. True professionals and the interviews they have given over the years are something anyone interested in becoming a professional musician should listen to. Just a solid group of guys. Well, with one exception... someone whose name shall go unmentioned.

I was there, and you're right. The Scorpions were the best of the day & night.

I've seen Scorpions numerous times they were great but I felt that Triumph stole the whole show

@@fleatactical7390 Uli Jon Roth or Kottak ?

Scorpions and Priest were on top of their game in '83. Great concert memories!

VH was the highest paid band for US. ($1.5m I believe) Kudos to you for being there...(I'm still kicking myself for not being there!)

I stayed through Eddie's solo and walked out. I was so disappointed in Roth. Walked all the way back to San Bernadino.

I know it's called "Rock Star", but D. L. Roth was the epitome of A-hole rockstar... A lot of Americans fell into the trap of being a dam dumpster fire .. (axl, vince, the entire grunge scene to name a few...) But not so with our Canadian brothers up North! 🇨🇦 Freedom Peace and Bacon Grease!

Hope you enjoy it!

You can get the DVD, I got it and it's FANTASTIC

@@wesmattimore2895 Does it include the entire performance, as well?

@@johnsoos6907yes, you should get it...

@@wesmattimore2895 I definitely will!

1:26 Neil

@@gocars3210 haha that guy does look like him.

Well, except for that one girl, uhm, in San Antonio. You know ... the one that was shaken' her thing? I don't think I'll ever forget that little brown-eyed beauty. Got to shake it!

@@sascotttx5145 even Gil sang “ i’ll have her back by 11 o’clock dad I promise “ . American girls

@@tucoblondy1643 I was thinking of Little Texas Shaker, from Rock and Roll Machine.

@@sascotttx5145 omg .. Just played it , were there different copies of Rock n roll machine ? I don’t even recall this one

@@tucoblondy1643 Come on, Tuco. That's the kind of question a grown up asks. This was probably 1979, so I wasn't a grown up yet, I just thought I was smarter than most of them. Most likely I had the cassette tape to listen to in the Le Mans. It would still be a couple of years before I learned the value of buying the vinyl and then recording a copy for the car. But you had to use a good tape, like a Maxell UDXL-II. I still have ticket stubs to some shows. I paid $7 to see Triumph in 1978. Paid $8.50 to see Triumph and UFO, both headliners, in 1980. Back to the song .... listen to it closely. It's pretty much "Foxy Lady" with different lyrics.

They wern't dirt bags

They did. It's called Rock And Roll Machine. It was on TV in Canada about 3 weeks ago on a Saturday night. It was AWESOME!

There's a DVD of the documentary coming out late summer/early fall according to Gil

They didn't have length or the anthem of hits like other bands but while they were together there was none better.

Come now, People! It wasn't all that and I saw them live back in the day.

How are they under rated?

@@mikesimonian484 They aren't mentioned among their peers and they were , from what I've heard from their songs on RU-vid so fat, every bit as good as the best from that time period. Technically at least. I've rarely heard of them. But I still hear people I listened to in the 90's list Scorpions and Priest as influential. Obviously Motley and Van Halen are well known

They were AWESOME Steven! Was 17 in '84 and saw them in my hometown of Guelph Ontario, along with Helix opening for them on the Thunder 7 tour. It was my 2nd concert ever, with Maiden's Powerslave tour being my first. To this day, out of the hundreds of concerts I've seen from backyards, to bars, to arenas and stadiums, the Thunder 7 tour would rank in my top 5! Having Helix open was a real treat too as Helix were on their 3rd album tour.

Saw them three times, first time was in '78 or '79.

I went to Agincourt Collegiate. Also saw them at our school. There was some great Canadian Rock and Roll in those days.

@@bobcaygeon4533 I missed it on account of being a tad young but they played my brother's high school in Simcoe..........and I've lived on the outskirts of Bobcaygeon for 25 years.......Canada may be geographically big but it's a small village.

@@fintanoclery2698 Small world. My wife and I just moved to Simcoe county (Brechin area) from Mississauga. Almost neighbours! Lol.

Amazing song. Just A Game was released in my senior year and became the soundtrack of my life. They aren’t in the Rock Hall of Fame but Madonna is. Wrap your head around that!

Have you ever moved on to some real music? Not some adolescent attempts at simple rhymes? The sounds inside your soul are probably your farts gathering to explode.

That was a common enough thing in the eighties. You'd see an interview in Hit Parader or Creem or something and the performers would disagree with being metal. Aerosmith - we're really a blues band so we like to use the guitars and amps that were on all those great old blues records. Nugent - I play old style rock and roll like Chuck Berry, only faster and louder. Stuff like that. To us fans it was all metal.