Time Flies, Heroes Endure: Extreme Kick Off Their European Tour in Oslo
- Kenneth Sporsheim
- 28 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Sentrum Scene, Oslo 13th June 2026
IMAGES KENNETH SPORHEIM / WORDS THOMAS V. KIRKEBY
Extreme were one of my favourite bands in the early '90s – first with the phenomenal Pornograffitti and then the more ambitious III Sides to Every Story. I saw them in Oslo on both tours, first in 1990 and again in 1992. During that second visit, I even had the chance to interview bassist Pat Badger and meet the band after the show. At the time, working on my hard rock radio programme Heavy Heaven, it was probably one of the biggest highlight of my teenage years.
Fast forward 34 years, and the band finally returned to Oslo for their first club show in the city since 1992. (They also played Tons of Rock in 2024, but unfortunately I couldn't make it.) As you can probably imagine, I had been looking forward to this evening for quite some time. To make it even more special, it also marked the opening night of the band's European tour.
There was no support act, and I found a spot reasonably close to the stage—far enough back that I could still make notes during the show. Perhaps not the ideal way to experience a concert, but after all these years I was finally about to see my old heroes again.
The lights went down at exactly 8:30 pm, just as I had been told the concert would begin. The audience applauded... but nothing happened. Technical problems? The three or four crew members who suddenly appeared onstage tracing cables across the floor certainly suggested as much.
Seven minutes later, the house lights came back on. Not exactly the perfect start to a tour opener, and I caught myself wondering whether the show might actually be cancelled. More technicians appeared, checking everything from the mixing position to behind the drum kit.
Then, eleven minutes later, one of the crew members waved from the stage. The lights went down once more. The intro tape rolled.
Extreme walked onstage to a thunderous reception. I clearly wasn't the only one who had waited a very long time for this moment. The opening song was 'It's (A Monster)', an upbeat gem from Pornograffitti, and I immediately found myself smiling as I watched these familiar faces onstage once again.
Nuno Bettencourt hardly seems to have aged a day since I last saw the band—although nostalgia may be doing some of the work there. The only obvious difference is the beard and moustache he now sports. Gary Cherone appeared wearing sunglasses with two sticking plasters taped in the shape of an X across one lens. I have no idea what it was supposed to represent, but it was both strange and amusing. Pat Badger looked remarkably similar to how I remembered him, only with considerably darker hair. Drummer Kevin Figueiredo was new to me, although he has actually been with the band ever since their reunion in 2007.
Without missing a beat, the band launched into 'Decadence Dance', one of the songs that first made me fall in love with Extreme all those years ago.
"Are you ready?" Gary shouted. The audience roared back. It was obvious that I wasn't the only one carrying fond memories from that era.
Thankfully, Gary can still sing. His voice doesn't sound exactly as it did 34 years ago when he used to trade vocal lines with the horn section onstage, but it remains powerful, and with excellent backing from both Nuno and Pat—not to mention an audience more than happy to sing every chorus—it never felt lacking.
Next came '#REBEL' from what we might as well call the band's comeback album, Six, released in 2023. Fewer people seemed familiar with the lyrics this time, but the energy in the room never dipped. In fact, it was impossible to match Gary's own energy as he bounced around the stage with movements that made it seem as though every joint in his body was double-jointed. Not bad for a man approaching his 65th birthday.
After another breathtaking guitar solo from Nuno—although, to be fair, most of his solos are breathtaking—the orchestral introduction to 'Rest in Peace' from III Sides to Every Story echoed through Sentrum Scene. Once again, the crowd erupted. The atmosphere was electric, with another huge singalong filling the venue.
As the song drew to a close, Nuno remained alone onstage, quietly improvising while Gary and Pat disappeared backstage. Every now and then he hinted at a familiar melody, but it was impossible to tell where he was heading. Then it became clear. 'Am I Ever Gonna Change', another song from III Sides, and one of my personal favourites from that album.
To my surprise, the audience response felt rather subdued. For a moment, I genuinely felt like I was the only person singing along while enthusiastically air-drumming in perfect sync with Kevin behind the kit. It may not be the band's most obvious singalong anthem, but I sang every word anyway. After all, I was spending the evening with old friends. Thankfully, the crowd gradually warmed to the song, and by the time it reached its conclusion there was no doubt they had appreciated it.
After the almost industrial-sounding 'Thicker Than Blood' from Six, Kevin began playing a beat on his own. Gary walked over and joined him, launching into Queen's 'We Will Rock You'. "Come on!" he shouted. "For your mama!" The crowd happily obliged before the band burst into 'Play With Me' from their debut album. I have to admit, I had almost forgotten about that song, but judging by the audience's reaction, plenty of people clearly hadn't.
When the song ended, the rest of the band left the stage, leaving Nuno alone for the first time that evening. It was also the first time anyone in the band properly addressed the audience. "It's nice to be back, even though it's cold. This is summer, right? It's so cold!" Nobody seemed offended. We all agreed. Oslo had hardly been blessed with summer weather so far.
"Thank you for being here," he continued. "We don't take you for granted. Excuse me... I have to do a wardrobe change."
He reached down and put on a hat.
"We'll take you back into the 1900s."
With that, he launched into 'Hole Hearted', one of the band's biggest hits from Pornograffitti. Kevin had now left his drum kit and joined the others at the front of the stage armed with nothing more than a bass drum, a cymbal and a tambourine.
The response was deafening. It was the loudest singalong of the night so far, with virtually the entire venue joining in. As the song came to an end, the band seamlessly slipped into Queen's 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', marking their second Queen tribute of the evening.
Once again the band exited, leaving Nuno alone under the spotlight.
"This is my favourite part of the show," he smiled. "I get to sit down."
He settled onto the stool placed at centre stage.
"I'm turning 60 this year."
Honestly, there was nothing about him that suggested it.
A rhythmic loop emerged from the speakers before Nuno began playing 'Midnight Express' from 1995's Waiting for the Punchline.
A second chair was brought out, and Gary joined him. By now, most of the audience knew exactly what was coming. Nuno started playing... the opening notes of 'Stairway to Heaven'.
Only a few bars later he stopped.
"We didn't write that song, Cherone."
The crowd laughed. Instead, the pair launched into the song that many people still associate most closely with Extreme: 'More Than Words'. Naturally, the audience sang every single word.
A short drum solo quickly restored the pace before the band exploded into 'Cupid's Dead'. The song ended with an extended duel between Pat's bass and Nuno's guitar—playful, seemingly spontaneous, and hugely entertaining.
"Let's play something from the Six album," Nuno said.
"But first… something for the beautiful ladies. Women aren't celebrated enough these days."
I fully expected the band to play 'Beautiful Girls' from Six, but instead, they surprised everyone with Queen's 'Fat Bottomed Girls'—their third affectionate nod to Queen during the evening.
'Banshee' eventually became the band's chosen representative from Six, before the others once again disappeared backstage, leaving Nuno standing alone again.
"Where did everybody go? Did the band break up again?" he joked.
"We break up every two weeks."
He wandered back and forth between his amplifier and microphone.
"There's something wrong with the sound. It sounds like a mosquito... or something."
A backing beat suddenly kicked in. Then came 'Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee'.
Before long, it seamlessly transformed into the song I had been waiting for all night:
'Get the Funk Out'.
Sentrum Scene erupted once more.
I missed the horn section that accompanied the band when I first saw them 34 years ago, but the song still packed every bit of the punch I had hoped for. And then came that guitar solo. Quite possibly one of the greatest rock guitar solos ever recorded, recreated live with astonishing accuracy more than three decades later.
Have you ever seen the YouTube clip where Brian May talks about this solo? If not, you really should. Perhaps that's why Extreme kept revisiting Queen throughout the evening. After all, few compliments carry more weight than praise from Brian May himself.
The band briefly left the stage before returning for the encore, introduced by another thunderous guitar riff from Nuno.
It was time for 'Rise' from Six, featuring another solo that earned him widespread acclaim when the album was released three years ago.
When the song ended, the band almost looked as though they didn't quite know what to do next.
"We don't have any more songs," someone joked.
Then Nuno smiled.
"Let's celebrate what we did in Birmingham last year."
What followed was a heartfelt tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, featuring a medley of 'I Don't Know', 'Bark at the Moon' and 'Crazy Train'.
I never had the privilege of seeing Randy Rhoads perform live, but I have a feeling he would have approved of Nuno Bettencourt's rendition of 'Crazy Train' on this particular evening.
And that was how Extreme brought their Saturday night in Oslo to a close. As the band stood along the edge of the stage handing out guitar picks, exchanging fist bumps and thanking the fans one last time, 'Here's to the Losers' from Six played over the PA.
It was an extremely fitting ending to an extremely well-played concert.
Not only had we been treated to many of the songs we had hoped for from across the band's catalogue, but we had also been given the chance to celebrate Ozzy—if only in spirit. And after a night like this, it was impossible not to leave with a smile.
SETLIST
1/ It ('s a Monster
2/ Decadent Dance
3/ #Rebel
4/ Rest in Peace
5/ Am I Ever Gonna Change
6/ Thicker Than Blood
7/ Play With Me
8/ Hole Hearted
9/ Midnight Express
10/ More Than Words
11/ Cupid's Dead
12/ Banshee
13/ Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee
14/ Get the Funk Out
ENCORE
15/ Rise
16/ Ozzy Medley: I Don't Know / Bark at the Moon / Crazy Train
FOLLOW EXTREME
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