EXTREME have been forced to cancel their scheduled performance at M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD on Saturday, May 6 after guitarist Nuno Bettencourt suffered a knee injury while aboard Monsters of Rock Cruise 2024, resulting in his inability to perform this weekend.
Bettencourt shares, “I am seriously bummed out that EXTREME have are unable to perform for everyone at M3 Rock Festival as we’ve been looking forward to the festival for several months. We apologize for the inconvenience to fans attending the festival. I can’t wait to get back on the stage once I’m all mended up.”
The organizers of the M3 Rock Festival, which is scheduled to take place May 6 and May 7 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, have issued the following statement: “It breaks our heart to announce that due to Nuno‘s severe knee injury, EXTREME will be unable to perform at this year’s M3 Rock Festival this weekend. Rest assured, Nuno is going to be ok and everyone attending the festival is going to have a great time. We are working diligently to book another stellar artist, and will make an announcement as soon as we have confirmation. We’re looking forward to rocking out with you this weekend at Merriweather Post Pavilion.”
EXTREME will continue to appear as scheduled for all upcoming dates; their next show is June 2 at Best of Blues & Rock Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
EXTREME recently shared two new singles along with dazzling videos to accompany each: “Banshee” and “#Rebel.” Watch both videos below.
“Banshee” is a seductive classic hard rock tune with a chugging rhythm section, playful guitar wizardry and electrifying vocals that testify to the power and inspiration of the female form and spirit. “#REBEL” takes on scathing so-called keyboard warriors with its head-nodding beat and searing dive bomb lead guitar runs catering to the harder edges of EXTREME’s sound. We’re calling out those trolls who can’t back up their words,” explains Cherone.
EXTREME are also excited to announce they will bring “Six”’s music to audiences across the globe on the “Thicker Than Blood Tour.” The tour will see the band visit North America from August 2-29 and Australia from September 6-13 where they will be joined by special guests Living Colour. EXTREME will also continue to bring the “Thicker Than Blood Tour” to audiences in Japan from September 17-26. Tickets for Japan will go on sale April 22. GA tickets and VIP upgrades – which include access to the band’s soundcheck – for the North American dates will go on sale Friday, April 21 at 10:00 A.M. local time as well as tickets for Australia.
Pre-order “Six” now, HERE.
With the force of a wrecking ball, EXTREME swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry on the 12-track “Six”, which also features such tracks as “Other Side Of The Rainbow”, “#Rebel” and “X Out”. For the recording of the Nuno-produced “Six”, the members buckled down at his home studio in Los Angeles. Once again, they channeled the electrifying eclecticism that defined their seminal output with a 21st century twist.
This dynamic affirms the iconic Boston quartet as one of rock’s most unpredictable, undeniable, and unbreakable groups whose songs course through the very fabric of popular culture. They’re the rare band whose music has appeared in an actual cult series a la “Bill & Ted” as well as the Netflix juggernaut “Stranger Things”. They’ve sold 10 million records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, packed major venues on multiple continents, memorably performed at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert in London, and regularly average over five million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, their dynamic approach hits harder than ever on their 2023 full-length offering “Six”.
“With EXTREME, there’s always a lot of passion and a little piss and vinegar,” says Gary. “We’re not in competition with anybody else, but we strive to outdo ourselves. There are some moments on this album where we did. We’ve managed to stay together after all these years. We feel like we have something to prove when we get on stage or in the studio. Because of that, I believe some of these songs are among the best we’ve written.”
“Whatever you think an EXTREME album is after two or even three songs, it’s not,” states Nuno. “That goes for every record we’ve ever done. True EXTREME fans know to ‘expect the unexpected.’ I feel like we need a good old school rock album. ‘Six’ is definitely modern, but you can put on headphones and go on a journey from top-to-bottom. It’s like ‘EXTREME 2.0′.”
“Six” track-listing:
1. Rise
2. #Rebel
3. Banshee
4. Other Side of the Rainbow
5. Small Town Beautiful
6. The Mask
7. Thicker Than Blood
8. Save Me
9. Hurricane
10. X Out
11. Beautiful Girls
12. Here’s to the Losers
Formed in 1985, the Boston group’s quiet grind resulted in the release of the self-titled EXTREME in 1989. Among many highlights, “Play With Me” not only graced the soundtrack of “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, but also the season four opener of “Stranger Things”, Meanwhile, EXTREME “II: Pornograffitti” bowed in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and eventually picked up a double-platinum certification. Of course, it notably spawned “Hole Hearted” (No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100) and the generational smash “More Than Words”. The latter soared to #1 on the Hot 100 and remains one of the most popular rock songs of all-time with over half-a-billion streams and 633 million YouTube views and counting. It appeared in the blockbuster comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, while Jimmy Fallon and Jack Black covered it (and re-imagined the iconic video) on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”. In its wake, the gold-certified “III Sides To Every Story” saw them return to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. Following “Waiting For The Punchline” (1995) and “Saudades De Rock” (2008), the musicians enraptured the masses on tour. Along the way, everyone from Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and Brian May of QUEEN to John Mayer publicly sung their praises. Plus, they played to a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park opening for AEROSMITH. On top of that, Gary was lead singer for VAN HALEN (“Van Halen III”) and has recorded and performed with Joe Perry, while Nuno has recorded and performed with Steven Tyler and Rihanna.