Arena rockers lacking in style and substance
Extreme
The Academy, Dublin
Vocalist from the band Extreme, Gary Cherone, at the grand opening celebration of the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston, Massachusetts, Tuesday, August 7, 2007 Photo: Gail Oskin/WireImage
Tuesday November 11 2008
IN these recycled times, every dog eventually has its day. Extreme belonged to the golden era of pop metal in the heady eighties when Van Halen ruled the world.
Indeed, singer Gary Cherone was even a Van Halen member for one album while his day job group was on hiatus.
Obviously, subtlety is hardly going to be Extreme's strong point. This is a world of bloated guitar solos, long hair and music that's at times so naff that they're like comedy band without realising it.
The back of the stage is adorned with the cover of their latest comeback album, 'Saudades de Rock', which translates from Portuguese as 'Yearning for Rock.'
It's a facile attempt to add the illusion that they're a normal, functioning rock band, as the crowd is clearly here for a single nostalgic reason; this being 'More than Words', a soppy, syrupy ballad that's out of character for Extreme but still an enduring global hit. Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt sit down for its performance, just as they did in the video.
Bettencourt reveals that this is a "duet between band and audience". It's more like a sing-along session where the lads take a back seat and let the fans do all the work.
After a mildly pleasant acoustic set, it's back to being bombarded by vacuous pomp-rock and torture by cliche.
Cherone and Bettencourt stalk the stage, climbing a single staircase that's their one concession to their arena rock past.
They still have the air of people who've been on the road for far too long. Sadly, they'll probably be on the road forever, or as long as they can inflict their nonsensical music on a paying audience.
- Eamon Sweeney
