Extreme electric guitar hero Nuno Bettencourt has had quite a year already.
In March, his band released Rise, a blazing comeback single highlighted by a jaw-dropping solo from Bettencourt that stands as arguably one of the most exciting and vital guitar statements, from anyone, in years.
Even before that, though, Bettencourt made an appearance on the biggest stage of them all, that of the Super Bowl halftime show. Wielding a special version of his Washburn N4 signature guitar, Bettencourt brought some hard-rock fire to Rihanna's acclaimed performance as a member – for the first time in almost a decade – of the pop superstar's backing band.
You'd be forgiven, though, if you didn't catch the guitar hero while watching the original broadcast.
When asked about the performance by AXS TV's Katie Daryl, Bettencourt joked, "Wait, did you see that 1.5 milliseconds of me on screen?
"It was so pathetic, the amount of love that the band got," he continued, before adding that he recognizes that it was "Rihanna's Super Bowl [performance], it's not ours or the band's, or [mine].
"It amazing just to be a part of it, just to do the Super Bowl," Bettencourt clarified. "What a bucket-list moment. Just being a part of it and the production and everything that happened, and I'm so blessed and so honored that she asked me back to do it. But the hell with the NFL for not giving any love to the band."
Super Bowl experience aside, all eyes were on Bettencourt when, earlier this week (May 1), Extreme took the stage for the first time since Rise's release on the Monsters of Rock cruise.
Debuting the song live, Bettencourt absolutely nailed its opening tremolo-picked section, wailing bends, light-speed alternate picking and massive whammy dives while hardly breaking a sweat.
Fans will have plenty of opportunities to hear Rise live when Extreme tour the US, Australia and Japan later this year.
For a full list of the band's tour dates, visit Extreme's website.
