Live Gig Review Credit: Anna Zurek
Photo Credit: Jan Meade Photography
Last week Extreme played their last two UK shows of their Pornograffiti Live Tour at The Forum, London with their Tuesday date being sold out and offered a gig that deserved that term without exception.
The show’s opener was support act Leogun with a few uptempo rock ‘n’ roll songs. Influenced by Motown, Matt Johnson’s catchy bassline stood out and together with Michael Lloyd’s powerful drum beat, it gave their songs an appealing rhythm that made you want to move your body right away. Tommy Smith’s vocals and bluesy guitar riffs added a certain spark and groove to their tunes that would still be stuck in your head even when the set finished. Their sound reminded of a more modern twist to Led Zeppelin with a touch of Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl”. Followed by a few slow, bluesy numbers they offered variety and great energy mixed with a captivating atmosphere during slow songs that quickly appealed to the crowd.
After a short break in which the stage was set up and something fell
down really loudly next to a microphone, Extreme’s set started with “Decadence Dance” and instantly set the mood for an entertaining, fun show. The gig was not only filled with catchy tunes accompanied by great energy into which the audience quickly joined in by singing along to most of their hits. But it also offered great entertainment on stage when Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt and Pat Badger joked around in between songs.
They played the Pornograffitti album in its entirety keeping the song order as on the album and added a few more for the encore.
The most outstanding moment of that night happened when Gary and Nuno performed “More Than Words” in the middle of the stage while having the crowd sing along loudly to every single word. Whenever they stopped singing, the audience would take over, 
making it a magical moment to remember – not only for the band.
The second ballad “When I First Kissed You” followed after the next short break with Nuno on the keyboards instead of the guitar and Gary singing in a soft, Frank Sinatra like way that had the crowd listening intently. Another moment that captivated the audience was when Nuno started playing his guitar solo at the beginning of “He-Man Woman Hater”.
At the end of their set Pat put on a hat with an attached camera and filmed the band and the fans. But that was not the only surprise of the night. After their last song “Cupid’s Dead” finished, Gary, Nuno and Pat jumped off stage and into the crowd, hugging their fans, shaking hands and smiling brightly.
This made up for a great end to a well-deserved sold out show and an excellent taster for some lucky fans who attended the follow-up date on Wednesday.
Make sure to check out Extreme while they are still touring. They are currently playing in the US and will hopefully be back in Europe soon.
https://www.facebook.com/extremeband
Setlist: Decadence Dance, Lil Jack Horny, When I’m President, Get The Funk Out, More Than Words, Money (In God We Trust), It(‘s A Monster), Pornograffitti, When I First Kissed You, Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?), Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee, He-Man Woman Hater, Song For Love, Hole Hearted
Encore: Play With Me, Rest In Peace, Am I Ever Gonna Change, Midnight Express, Cupid’s Dead
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