Canadian rock veterans Triumph are gearing up for their first tour in three decades, but don’t expect them to be losing sleep over a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction anytime soon. Drummer and vocalist Gil Moore recently opened up to “Rock At Night” magazine about the prestigious institution and who he truly believes deserves the spotlight.
When asked if he anticipates a nod from the US-based Hall of Fame, the musician emphasized that he is already deeply grateful for the recognition the band has received elsewhere, including recent inductions into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame and the Metal Hall Of Fame.
He said: “Well, I don’t know. You think we’re one Hall Of Fame short of a load? I don’t know at this point. The last one we did was the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame, which was [last October]. And every one of these is kind of like… Well, they’re obviously a real honor. A couple of years before that, [we got inducted into] the Metal Hall Of Fame, which is another lens into what’s gone on over the years. And each one, to me, is a special memory. Yeah, you get a trophy or whatever. I look at that kind of, like, [it’s] for my kids to see Dad wasn’t just sitting on the couch.”
Regarding the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame specifically, Gil Moore pointed out the ongoing debate surrounding its selection process. He referenced fellow rocker Ted Nugent as a prime example of an artist who belongs in the Hall but has been repeatedly overlooked.
“But the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in America is — yeah, they decide what they decide, however they decide it. It seems like there’s a lot of controversy about who has been put in it and the definition of what rock and roll is. I know our friend Ted Nugent has been a big proponent of some of the people that are omitted. And I look at that, and I think if he isn’t in there, what the heck? He should be in there. And I don’t think he is. But I don’t wanna really worry about it one way or the other.”
The drummer then shifted the focus to the foundational artists who paved the way for modern rock. He argued that the American blues and R&B pioneers who directly influenced massive acts like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin are the ones who truly deserve the highest honors.
“If I was running the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which I’m not, I would be more concerned about my own country, I’d be more concerned about the Americans being looked after appropriately. But maybe that’s wrong. I mean, if you think about how I grew up in the business, I learned, as I think — the bands that came after, The Beatles and The [Rolling] Stones and Led Zeppelin and so on, who got their roots from the bluesmen, and that’s where I got my roots, was from the same American bluesmen that they did. But then laterally, you don’t hear so much because The Beatles and The Stone become huge, Led Zeppelin becomes huge. And those are sort of the influencers, I’ll say. But [the bluesmen] were the influencers’ influencers. But in terms of a Hall Of Fame, to me, Howlin’ Wolf gets in there before Led Zeppelin does, but people would probably disagree with me and say, ‘No. Led Zeppelin gets in there.’ And I don’t even know if Howlin’ Wolf is in there or Albert King. There’s so many great American bluesmen that, to me, these guys, they were the godfathers of a lot of these rock bands. And I think most of the people in rock bands that came after that benefited from those, those blues, I’ll call them lessons — lessons in groove, lessons in in the soul within music and so on. God, if I listen to James Brown for a minute, I think I listened to him for a hundred years. I didn’t get enough James Brown. So, yeah, not just the — I’ll call it the Chicago or the Memphis bluesman, but also the R&B side, the great R&B musicians in America. Again, I think they are probably underrepresented in terms of —maybe it’s not as good TV or press or social media to honor some of those people, but to me they’re the ones that really deserve it.
Wrapping up his thoughts, he humbly reflected on his own band’s place in music history compared to those early trailblazers.
“I still look at us as a bunch of young guys. We’re just a bunch of kids that came along. And now we’re not kids anymore. But I still feel that way. I look back and I say, ‘These are the guys. It’s not us. It’s them,'” he concluded.
This spring, Triumph will hit the road to celebrate their 50th anniversary, marking their first trek in over 30 years. Supported by April Wine, the 2026 tour will launch in early April with two Florida gigs before moving through Canada from April 22 to May 8. A 17-city US leg will follow, wrapping up in Boston on June 6.
The highly anticipated run will feature the classic trio of Mike Levine, Emmett, and Moore, backed by a stellar lineup of touring musicians. Bon Jovi guitarist (and former Triumph member) Phil X—born Theofilos Xenidis—will join the stage, alongside drummer Brent Fitz and bassist Todd Kerns, both known for their work in Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators.
Triumph 50th Anniversary North American 2026 Tour Dates:
Canada
- April 22 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – GFL Memorial Gardens
- April 24 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
- April 25 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
- April 28 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre
- April 29 – Moncton, NB – Avenir Centre
- May 1 – Laval, QC – Place Bell (Montreal)
- May 2 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
- May 5 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
- May 7 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
- May 8 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
United States
- April 10 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live Universal Orlando
- April 13 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Seminole Hard Rock Hotel
- May 13 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre (Chicago)
- May 14 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre
- May 16 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
- May 17 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
- May 20 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory (Dallas)
- May 21 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
- May 22 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Center at Sugar Land
- May 24 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
- May 26 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park
- May 28 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (Philadelphia)
- May 30 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill (Detroit)
- June 3 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
- June 5 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater (New York)
- June 6 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
