In a brand new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, EXTREME‘s Nuno Bettencourt spoke about what it was wish to be the guitarist in Rihanna‘s tour band for a number of years beginning greater than a decade in the past. He stated: “I imply, look, it is Rihanna, to start with. She’s an enormous artist and he or she’s tremendous cool to hold with. The reveals have been ridiculous, the audiences. And it was superb. After they first needed me to do it, when she first needed me and Tony Bruno to do it, I used to be, like, ‘Why? There is not any guitar on these items.’ However they stated, ‘Nicely, that is why we would like you to do it and rock it out.’ And I stated, ‘I get to be me, proper? Totally? My identical sound?’ They usually go, ‘Yep.’ So that was actually cool. It was actually cool to destroy a few of these songs. [Laughs] However, actually, to play songs as iconic, and songs like ‘Umbrella’ and issues, and add huge guitars to it and all that, that was actually cool. It was fairly attention-grabbing.”

Nuno additionally talked about what it was wish to share the stage with Rihanna when the Grammy Award-winning R&B artist took the stage in Phoenix on February 12 for her 2023 Tremendous Bowl halftime efficiency. He stated: “Sadly, the band did not get plenty of love on TV, however we did do the present, yeah… Look, it was a visit for a lot of causes. One was the halftime present is iconic, and to be part of it and rehearse on the stadium and be part of that historical past. And likewise I am a giant soccer fan, in order that was even iconic for me — simply the truth that… the groups that have been taking part in and being a part of NFL and all that, it was a giant bucket-list second for me for positive.”

Again in 2014, Nuno spoke to Guitar Interactive journal about how he landed his gig because the guitarist in Rihanna‘s band 4 years earlier. “I’ve by no means performed one other gig the place I used to be form of, like… not my very own, really, actually,” he stated. “And I might been requested by means of the years to do stuff, even with not simply essentially pop artists however with different rock bands, and I’ve at all times declined.

“We had simply completed an EXTREME tour and a buddy of mine, who’s a musical director, Tony Bruno, he hit me up. He goes, ‘I do know I’ve requested you ten occasions already, however I do know you are in L.A., we’re in L.A. Ri noticed a few of your movies. Would you think about doing…?’ He simply stated ‘three months’ of this promo. And I used to be, like, you realize what?! I am in my forties, I have been sticking to my weapons for thus lengthy and never doing anything. ‘Trigger at first I stated, ‘No. Why would I wanna do it? There’s actually no guitar in that stuff.’ And he stated, ‘Nicely, that is the factor. She needs it to be quite a bit heavier reside.’ And I am, like, ‘So I get to do what I do.’ And he goes, ‘Fully. Your rig…’ [And I said], ‘I get to destroy each one in every of her songs?’ And he was, like, ‘Yeah.’ So I believed that may be enjoyable.”

He continued: “It is attention-grabbing. Anyone who’s come to see that present, even from the angle of journalists or magazines, whether or not or not it’s in Germany or within the States, they arrive and interview me, however they do not plan on staying for the present. And I at all times say, ‘Simply keep. Simply keep for a few songs.’ Then they keep for the evening after which they at all times find yourself sending me a textual content or an e-mail message apologizing, [saying that] they did not know that there was that a lot musicianship occurring. The drummer’s from Stevie Marvel. It is, like, it is an actual band, and nothing’s on playback. We take the songs and we actually play them; they’re nothing like [they are on] the album.

“When individuals ask me, ‘Why would you do one thing that you are able to do along with your eyes closed?’ And it is a tough gig. The hats that you must put on, feel-wise… You go from a primary pop tune like ‘Umbrella’ to to reggae tune to a membership monitor to even, like, a punk tune and R&B stuff. So the quantity of various textures and feels, and to should play together with these unbelievable musicians who hear every little thing, it is undoubtedly not a punch-in-the-clock-type state of affairs for me. Stay, it retains you busy. It is one factor doing your individual factor, it is your individual shit… It sounds loopy, nevertheless it’s actually difficult. It truly is.”

Nuno added: “No matter individuals’s perceptions are of no matter Rihanna is, it is undoubtedly a unique animal reside — utterly completely different. At first, even once I went to work together with her, I used to be, like, ‘Can she actually sing?’ A whole lot of occasions with the singers you hear now, there’s plenty of that Auto-Tune aspect and you do not know who can actually sing. However once I went to rehearsal, I couldn’t consider how effectively she sang, and I couldn’t consider how effectively she sings reside.

“It was actually tousled, as a result of nothing is on monitor aside from some bells and whistles sounds, and explosions — simply sound-effects stuff — however each evaluation was saying her vocals have been on monitor, and none of it’s. Nevertheless it’s unbelievable. I used to be really going, ‘Wow!’ There’s really nice background singers that they get purposely to considerably sound like her vibe, and it was superb. And it really made me notice, even when you are able to do it, and you may sing, and he or she is, they’re nonetheless telling her that she will’t do it.”