An otherwise quiet Tuesday evening shattered by the sounds of guitar-driven rock. On February 20th, 80s rock band Extreme took the stage at Houston’s House of Blues for a career-spanning set, playing through songs from six different albums.
Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, the hard rock outfit still retains most of its classic lineup, with Nuno Bettencourt on guitar, Paul Badger on bass, and frontman Gary Cherone, along with relative newcomer Kevin Figueiredo on drums.
Opening up the show was Living Colour, another late-80s rock mainstay. Though they only played a short, 9-song set, the energy radiating from the stage was palpable. Frontman Corey Glover, donned in a bright red, Chinese-style suit belted out lyrics into the crowd, while guitarist Vernon Reid played with the speed and fire the band has become known for.
With a setlist that included “Open Letter (to a Landlord)”, “Ignorance is Bliss”, and a cover of MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams”, played in tribute to the late Wayne Kramer, the band not only bought the attention of the crowd, but held it for the entirety of their set. Living Colour closed out in the only way they could, with 1988’s smash hit “Cult of Personality”.
After a brief intermission, the house lights dimmed once again and the headlining act of the night took the stage. Bettencourt emerged from the wings, and without facing the crowd began to play the opening riffs, while Cherone bounded onto the scene with all of the theatricality one would expect from an 80’s frontman.
Their first venture to the bayou city in years, Extreme played a extensive, 2-hour set including a septet of songs off their newest album, Six, alongside classics such as “Decadence Dance”, “Hole Hearted”, and their chart-topping hit “More Than Words”,.
Bettencourt’s guitar playing took center stage for much of the show, with lengthy solos and loud screaming riffs, while Cherone maintained his seemingly endless theatrics for the band’s entire set. Closing out with “RISE”, the leading track off their newest album, Extreme capped off a truly great show that brought a bit of that late-80s hard rock energy back to Houston.
I'm a Houston-based concert and automotive photographer. I've been a music fan my whole life, and previously was the director for Coog Radio, the University of Houston's student radio station. I listen to a bit of everything, from blues to rock to EDM, but predominantly metal. Some favorites include Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. When I'm not behind the camera, you can catch me skating, going to car events, and buying too many coffee table books.
