Extreme

Extreme formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1985 around Gary Cherone (vocals), Nuno Bettencourt (guitars and keyboards), Paul Geary (drums and percussion), and Pat Badger (bass guitar).

Their self-titled debut album was issued in March 1989, producing the single Kid Ego, and the album track Play With Me which was used predominantly in the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989).

Pornograffitti was released in 1990 (peaking at #10 on the Billboard 200) and the single More Than Words became a huge smash, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The subsequent single, Hole Hearted, was also successful, rising to #4 on the same popular music chart.

The single Get the Funk Out reached #19 in the UK charts in June 1991.

The group made a spellbinding appearance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness at Wembley Stadium in London on 20 April 1992 with a mind-blowing medley of note-perfect Queen songs. Captured for posterity on video, their set will endure as one of the greatest live performances of all time.

The album III Sides to Every Story was released in September 1992, and their first single from the album was Rest in Peace.

Before the band’s appearance at Donington’s Monsters of Rock festival in the UK in the summer of 1994, drummer Paul Geary left the band to pursue a career in artist management. Mike Mangini succeeded him on drums.

Waiting for the Punchline was released on 7 February 1995, producing the singles Hip Today, Unconditionally, and Cynical. The album was not a commercial sales success, and Extreme disbanded after their 1996 tour when Bettencourt decided to leave to pursue a solo career.

Gary Cherone joined Van Halen following the acrimonious departures of David Lee Roth and then Sammy Hagar. In 1998, the Cherone-fronted Van Halen released Van Halen III, which reached #4 on Billboard‘s top 200 album chart and sold over 500,000 copies in the US alone.

The 1999 Van Halen album was rejected by Warner Bros. Records, and Cherone left the band. He later formed Tribe of Judah.

In 1997, Nuno Bettencourt released his first solo album titled Schizophonic. In 1998 he formed a group called Mourning Widows and released a self-titled album and a follow-up album, Furnished Souls for Rent.

Following the breakup of that band, he released another solo album under the project name of Population 1 in 2002.

Extreme reformed for a short tour in 2004, playing in the Azores (August), in their hometown of Boston at the WAAF anniversary (September) and a few concerts in Japan (January 2005).

After a hiatus in 2005, the band returned in 2006 with the “classic” Pornograffitti lineup to do a small, three-show reunion tour through New England.

In November 2007, the band announced plans for a world tour in the summer of 2008 with King’s X and a release date for their new album, Saudades de Rock.

The band then embarked on the “Take Us Alive World Tour”, supported by King’s X in the US and Hot Leg in the UK, with various other dates in Europe and Asia, through all of 2008.

In 2016, the band released Pornograffitti Live 25: Metal Meltdown, an audio/video presentation of its 2015 concert at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Casino. In June 2018, Extreme toured Australia with Mr Big, followed by gigs in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei.

Extreme headlined Shirock 2019 alongside Scottish band, Nazareth. On 19 October 2019, the band performed in Ukhrul, India, in front of over 30,000 fans.

Gary Cherone
Vocals
Nuno Bettencourt
Guitars, keyboards, vocals
Pat Badger 
Bass, vocals
Paul Geary
Drums, vocals
Mike Mangini
Drums, vocals

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