When Dave heard last fall that Triumph would be touring again for the first time in like forty years, he was so excited and thought the concert should be added to our calendar. But honestly? I was never really a fan, and as he was going through their song list, I knew maybe three of them. I politely demurred.
But then: Christmas was coming up and I started to feel badly about having shut this idea down, so I got us some tickets (and a vintage Triumph 8 track to give the present heft) and gave them to Dave for Christmas. By the time I got around to buying tickets, there were no decent floor seats left, but if there's one thing I've learned from the many concerts we've gone to over the past couple of years, it's that if you're not in the first few rows, floor seats kind of suck; the vibe is first class, but the view is likely obstructed by the sea of heads in front of you. So I got these tickets at the side of the stage, and thought I found a pretty good balance of front and side views. Dave was not complaining.
April Wine was the opening act, and although we did just see them a year ago when they opened for Bachman Turner Overdrive, I probably enjoyed them better than the main event (but mostly because I knew all of their songs and could sing along; isn't that the magic power we're talking about here?) Because I had posted that photo up top on facebook before the concert started, a couple of people I know commented that they were at the concert, too, and at the intermission, Jenny from the gym ran over from her floor seat, eventually got my attention, and I ran down the steps to talk to her. She was so incredibly excited to see Triumph — positively a lifelong dream come true for her — and the excitement in the stadium just grew and grew as everyone ran back to their seats and a retro video reel and light show signalled that Triumph would soon be taking to the stage.
As I had expected, they literally played three songs that I knew — and it was a whole lot more electric guitar than could be found in the new wave dance music that I preferred in high school — but as I looked past Dave at the old (our age) man sitting next to him, that guy knew every word to every song, and just calmly mouthed along with a look of devout satisfaction. I could see people on the floor grooving and arm pumping, heads thrown back as they belted out the lyrics, and Dave beside me sang along with the songs he knows (most of them) and keep smiling at me with giddy excitement. And isn't that just the magic power that we're talking about here? Fantastic night out with my favourite guy; we have been young, been wild, and been free, and even at our age, we can let the music do the talking, say the things we need to hear.
