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.
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