Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt recently reflected on a significant moment during Black Sabbath’s farewell show, sharing his thoughts in an interview with Premier Guitar.
Bettencourt discussed his decision to debut a new guitar during the event, a move he now considers a mistake. When asked about the moment, he explained his reasoning and the unintended consequences.
“Not at all. To be honest with you, it probably wasn’t a good idea to play that guitar at all,” Bettencourt said. “I’d been thinking about this for a long time, and Washburn didn’t know I was leaving. So for them to see not only a guitar they’d never seen, but then to see not their name on the headstock—to see mine—was probably a really fucked up thing to do. [laughs]”
He elaborated on his relationship with Washburn, noting the lack of a formal agreement. “But I didn’t really have a contract with them. It was more of a gentleman’s agreement that had been up for so long. After a while, especially after Six came out, I just felt nothing from them. Guitars were back ordered, no press, nothing.”
Bettencourt also shared his excitement about the new guitar, which ultimately led to his decision. “But the reason I pulled the guitar out that day is because when I got it, I played it and was like, this feels like the best N4 I’ve ever played. I was super excited. I just wanted to play it onstage. It wasn’t marketing or teasing. I was just authentically excited. I was blown away by how the neck felt. It just felt right.”
According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Black Sabbath’s farewell event, Back to the Beginning, took place on July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. The concert reunited the band’s original lineup for a final performance. Cure Parkinson’s reported that Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward performed together live for the first time since 2005, making the event especially emotional for fans.
Bettencourt previously spoke about the pressure of playing at Black Sabbath’s farewell show, saying he didn’t just want to learn the songs, but truly make them his own. He said in an interview on “Steve and Rik’s POTcast”: “When I got a call to do that, which was like, ‘Oh my god, I get to go and play two songs!’ Everybody was doing two songs… And then, I get a call three or four days later, ‘Can we throw three more at you?’ And I kept going, ‘Wait, what’s going on?’ And they go, ‘Oh, Wolfgang Van Halen just dropped out.’ I’m like, ‘Well, what are the songs?'”
This candid reflection sheds light on Bettencourt’s thought process and the challenges of navigating professional relationships in the music industry.
