Rik Emmett - guitar, vocals; Mike Levine - bass, vocals; Gil Moore - drums, vocals
From their earliest days in sweaty rock rooms of Toronto during the summer of 1975 through the band's demise in the late-'80s, the trio of singer/bassist Mike Levine, singer/guitarist Rik Emmett, and drummer/singer Gil Moore always had a handle on their artistic output and a solid sense of what the rock 'n' roll constituency was looking for at the time. By 1977, Triumph was doing dates throughout their native Canada and the US, and within three years the band hit gold as one of RCA (and later MCA) Record's biggest acts, powered by a staple of FM hits that included "Lay It On The Line," "Fight The Good Fight," "Hold On," and "Allied Forces." With the only exception of Rush, there was no bigger act out of Canada in the late-1970s and early '80s.
Although Triumph were never exactly critics' darlings, it is widely agreed that the time frame from which this memorable show was recorded was during the band's best musical years. Much of Triumph's success was credited to their ability to fit into nearly all the rock radio formats of the 1980s. The band was head on the superstar format, AOR, the active/passive format, and Top 40, which gave them considerable exposure on the radio.
Many of the band's best loved songs were featured during this October 1981 show from Cleveland, including opener "Tear The Roof Off," "Allied Forces" (the title track off what many consider their best record), "Fight The Good Fight," "Lay It On The Line," and "Rock 'N' Roll Machine."
The band remained intact until 1988, when Emmett left to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by Phil X, but after releasing one single the band folded.