Watch Nuno Bettencourt Copy a Fan's "Extreme" Shred Medley

(Image credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

In April 2016, Generation Axe—a face-melting tour featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi—hit the road in the U.S. 

At every tour stop, each guitarist took the stage and launched into his own "solo spotlight" performance. Bettencourt's solo showcase was, well, very "meta"—for lack of a better word.

He actually—brilliantly, I might add—played the solos and riffs from a "Best of Nuno" shred medley that he found on YouTube.

We'll let him explain:

"I was thinking, 'What should I do [for this tour]?' and I was praying to the gods of YouTube," Bettencourt told Generation Axe's Washington, D.C., audience on April 24, 2016. "I said, 'Let's see what's goin' on out there,' and I saw that this kid posted what he thought was the best of me... a medley that he put together [actually, the kid played it all himself], just his favorite riffs and solos, and I thought, 'I'm gonna steal that idea from this kid.' [laughs] So I did, and I'm gonna do it for you right now, and I hope you like it. If you do like it, it was my idea. If you hate it ... stupid kid!"

Below, we've provided Bettencourt's copy of the fan's medley—and the medley as performed by the fan, a very talented guitarist named Giovanni Scardoni.

As Nuno says, hope you like it! If not ... stupid kid! (We're kidding, of course...) And yes, we know; Bettencourt's performance also includes Extreme's "Take Us Alive," a track from Saudades de Rock.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.