Extreme

About Extreme

Extreme formed in Boston in 1985 when guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and bassist Pat Badger connected with singer Gary Cherone and drummer Paul Geary. They spent a few years grinding through the local club circuit before landing a record deal with A&M Records. Their self-titled debut in 1989 got some attention but didn't break through. People noticed Bettencourt's guitar work though, which mixed Van Halen-style tapping with funk grooves and classical influences in ways that stood out from the usual hair metal shredding.

Everything changed with Pornograffitti in 1990. The album went double platinum, largely because of More Than Words, an acoustic ballad that became inescapable on radio and MTV. It hit number one and suddenly Extreme was everywhere, which created a weird problem for them. They were actually a hard rock band that could play circles around most of their peers, but now they were known for a gentle acoustic song. The album had plenty of evidence of what they could really do, like the funky Get the Funk Out, the technically demanding Play with Me, and the heavier Decadence Dance, but More Than Words was what stuck.

They followed up with III Sides to Every Story in 1992, a more ambitious double album that showed them trying to expand beyond the typical rock band template. Rest in Peace became another hit, and Hole Hearted gave them a second acoustic ballad that went top five. The album had this conceptual structure with three sections and showed Bettencourt's increasing interest in pushing the band's sound into proggier, more experimental territory. Critics were more impressed this time, but the commercial momentum was already starting to fade as grunge was reshaping what rock was supposed to sound like.

Waiting for the Punchline came out in 1995 to general indifference. The timing was terrible, grunge had fully taken over, and nobody wanted to hear technically proficient funk metal anymore. The band broke up in 1996. Cherone briefly joined Van Halen for one album that nobody talks about much. Bettencourt did session work and solo projects. They seemed done.

They reunited in 2007 with the original lineup minus Geary, who'd left the music business. Kevin Figueiredo took over drums. Since then they've been steadily touring and occasionally releasing albums. Saudades de Rock came out in 2008, then nothing until Six in 2023, which showed they can still play but didn't exactly set the world on fire. They're a legacy act now, mostly playing for people who remember when More Than Words was everywhere and want to hear Bettencourt remind everyone he could actually shred this whole time.

Extreme shows are tight and playful. The funk-metal numbers get crowds moving in weird ways, caught between headbanging and dancing. Cherone commands the stage without trying too hard, and the band clearly enjoys the technical interplay. Shows feel like they're having more fun than proving something.

Known for Get the Funk Out, Play with Me, More Than Words, Hole Hearted, Rest in Peace

See Extreme Live