WBLM Welcomes Back Extreme!

29 years ago this month marks the first Portland appearance of this now legendary Boston band. It was August 19,1988. Guns N' Roses were scheduled as the opening act for Aerosmith at the Cumberland County Civic Center. A few weeks before the show it was announced that GnR would no longer be performing before the headliners. They're new found superstar status had gotten them on the bill at the Monsters of Rock festival in the UK on the weekend they were supposed to play in Portland. A new Boston band called Extreme was added in their place. We got to know them better the following year with the release of their self-titled debut and significant airplay of the single, Kid Ego. Blimpville fell in love with this band. With powerhouse vocals from Gary Cherone and guitar hero pyrotechnics from Nuno Bettencourt, it was like Queen and Van Halen had a baby! The popularity of Extreme continued to grow with the next album, 1990's Pornograffitti. It was a concept album with themes of sex, money, and living in excess. There were also a couple love songs, Hole Hearted and More Than Words. The latter going all the way to #1 on the pop charts. Extreme followed the double-platinum success of Pornograffitti with III Sides to Every Story, featuring the #1 rock song Rest in Peace. While it wasn't as big a record as the previous, it was their best work featuring '3 Sides' titled 'Yours', 'Mine', and 'the Truth'. We count 6 concerts in Maine with Extreme over the years. With next month's 25th anniversary of III Sides to Every Story...Gary, Nuno, and Pat Badger return to Portland to celebrate with a 7th show this Friday night at Aura!