A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned Rik’s comments about a dinner meeting with Live Nation, where Emmett referenced industry rumours that Van Halen want to tour next year but need some sort of “support” to make the event package more “interesting.”
The VH comment was made in part 1 of an interview with Gibson guitars.
More cool details are now out in part 2 of the session, and there’s some interesting history to be learned.
After leaving Triumph in 1988, Emmett wasn’t sure where he was headed, and was actually approached to join a few different “name” acts.
“After I left Triumph, there were some offers that came by from time to time,” said Rik. “Tom Scholz was looking for someone to sing for them on a Boston tour. When the Damn Yankees were starting up and I was talking on the phone with Jack Blades, I got a call to become the guitar player and singer on an Asia tour. Those kinds of things I turned down. I’m sure they would have been nice opportunities and they might have led to something, but I didn’t want to just end up in another band.”
With the reportedly nasty way that Triumph split, it’s no wonder Emmett wasn’t interested in joining another band setup.
Things worked out well for Rik as he pursued a musically diverse solo career. And, let’s consider that the folks who were hired for those gigs all did pretty well: Boston replaced original singer Brad Delp with Fran Cosmo (Delp actually returned to the lineup in '95 and Boston toured with both singers); Jack Blades was a great fit for Damn Yankees, and John Payne worked out for Asia.
Triumph - Follow Your Heart - Thunder Seven Triumph – Follow Your Heart (1984)
