Kevin Figueiredo, Bettencourt, Cherone and Pat Badger: Still tough.
REMEMBER WHEN...
Fans recall memories of ‘More Than Words.’
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“Seeing the video on MuchMusic was the first time I laid eyes on Nuno Bettencourt. A lifelong crush was born.” Katy W.
“It reminds me of a rainy summer in the early-’90s that I was forced to spend at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, N.J. It was just cheesy enough to assure me that video games, pizza and bad music were the way to go.” Jason N.
“I was in college and there was this girl who was completely in love with the group. The video came on, and this girl lights her lighter and starts to cry. It was very odd.” Nicole D.
The top 40 No. 1 acoustic ballad “More Than Words” from hard rock outfit Extreme spawned many a make-out session back in the early ’90s. After coming back together this year to release their first new material since 1995, “Saudades de Rock,” the band doesn’t shy away from performing the song that brought them their biggest success, even if it didn’t sound a thing like most of the heavy guitar-laden material they were producing at the time.
“People often ask if ‘More than Words’ was a blessing or a curse, seeing as we were more of a rock ‘n’ roll band,” says Nuno Bettencourt, lead guitarist and all-around rock stud.
“I say, ‘Let me weigh out the options.’ ‘More than Words’ is a hit, and we’re playing arenas and turning everybody on to the rest of the record and being able to tour the world, or ‘More than Words’ isn’t a hit and I’m working at Burger King. Hmm ... let me see which one of those I’d like better.”
After splitting up to do solo projects — bandmate Gary Cherone famously fronted Van Halen for one hot minute until it became clear he wasn’t the right fit — why did they decide to get back together again?
“We always knew we would get back together,” Bettencourt says, “but we didn’t want to do it for the wrong reasons. We always said that if we could get into a room and be inspired enough ... maybe it’s time. We did get into that room ... and we came out with about 24 songs in a week, so it was time to do it.”
Extreme with Ratt
Tonight, 8 p.m.
NOKIA Theatre
1515 Broadway
$35-$37, 212-930-1950 www.nokiatheatrenyc.com
