Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt defends live backing tracks

Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt has spoken out about the use of backing tracks when bands play live.

In an expletive-laced interview with Jordi Pinyol, Bettencourt said: “It's like the dilemma we had when we did horns on 'Pornograffitti'. You ask yourself, what do you do? It's got horns on three or four songs.

“And then we did 'III Sides (To Every Story)' and we brought horns with us on tour. But even now we're playing some of those songs, and you make a choice. You're, like, of course the songs rock without the horns… But lately we've been, like, 'F--- it. Play with a click. Let's get the horns exciting there.'"

Watch: Extreme ‘Get the Funk Out’ music video

He continued: "I have no problem with any band - I don't give a s--- if it's acoustic, rock, punk, f---ing whatever - you're allowed to do whatever the f--- you want. You wanna pump in horns, you pump in horns. You wanna pump in synthesizer, you pump in synthesizer.

“People have been criticizing bands for doing that stuff. I tell them to go f--- themselves, because it's not your f---ing choice. You don't like it? Don't go see the f---ing band.”

The guitarist did, however, make a distinction between those bands openly adding extra elements like horns and synthesizer to the sound via backing tracks and those who pretended to play them live.

He said: “Like I use a (click track on) '(Flight Of The Wounded) Bumble Bee'… It's a click track. You can tell me that's bull----, but Kevin's (Figueiredo, Extreme drummer) not pretending to do it.

Watch: Nuno Bettencourt – Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee (live)

Bettencourt continued: “I don't like when people pretend to do something or they're faking like they're singing or they're faking like they're playing horns, and it's not happening. That's not cool with me, because then you're lying to the audience; you're not performing anymore.

“So I'm of the mind that I don't give a f--- if a band, 90 percent of the sound is electronics and it's all being sequenced and it's 90 percent of the sound, but they don't have a guitar player and they have guitar going through.

“But if there's guys onstage faking it, I think that's a little bit unfair and that's not cool. Do it if you want, but it's up to the audience if they wanna stay or not stay."

Earlier this month Bettencourt joined us for an episode of 'My Planet Rocks', where he played his favourite songs and discussed - among other things - the challenge of playing guitar for Rihanna and his love for the solo in the Eagles' 'Hotel California'.

You can listen to the whole show on-demand on the Planet Rock app or webplayer.

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