Nuno Bettencourt rips through Hot For Teacher with Van Halen tribute band
Nuno Bettencourt has once again proven he’s one of the most electrifying guitarists in rock. At the recent 2025 Monsters of Rock Cruise, the Extreme axeman jumped onstage with Van Halen tribute band Nerd Halen for a blistering rendition of Hot For Teacher — and it was nothing short of spectacular.
Joining Nuno onstage was Extreme bassist Pat Badger, who nailed Michael Anthony’s iconic backing vocals, as well as Nerd Halen’s lead guitarist, Caleb Rapoport.
It’s not the first time Bettencourt has taken on the Van Halen classic — the virtuoso famously shredded parts of it on a Strat during his 2023 interview with Rick Beato, and back in 2015, he also made an impromptu appearance with another Van Halen tribute band Atomic Punks on the Monsters of Rock Cruise.
Check out fan-filmed footage of Nuno’s Hot For Teacher performance below.
EXTREME’s guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and bassist Pat Badger were invited to jam with NERD HALEN (aka Nerd Hagar) on the Monsters of Rock Cruise 2025 ! What a surprise bonus treat for us all !Day 5 of the Monsters Of Rock Cruise 20253-14-25NERD HALEN Extreme Nuno BettencourtHal Sparks#monstersofrockcruise
Posted by Dorrie Hustead on Saturday, March 15, 2025
Right place at the right time. This was so impromptu that the background wasn’t changed. Story is that Nerd Halen’s guitar player, Caleb, was feeling the pressure of playing EVH tunes with Nuno watching. They forced him to get up on stage. He obliged. And no denying, Nuno can play EVH note perfect.
Posted by Cecil Brian Hengeveld on Saturday, March 15, 2025
The Extreme guitarist has long been celebrated for his virtuosic playing, even drawing comparisons to Eddie Van Halen himself. But when it comes to being labeled as Van Halen’s heir, Bettencourt admits that “gratifying” as it may be, he has mixed feelings about it.
“There is no heir to the throne of Eddie Van Halen. Nobody sits on that throne. Nobody takes that throne,” he told Metal Edge in 2023.
And while he appreciates the praise he’s received from legends like Steve Lukather, Steve Vai, and Brian May, Bettencourt insists that Eddie was more than just a great guitarist — he was a revolutionary force who redefined how the world saw the guitar.
“Here’s why it’s different with Eddie: when a great guitar player passes, you just move on to another, right? But in this case, Eddie wasn’t just a ‘guitar player’. We’re talking about a guy who changed culture and how we play guitar,” Bettencourt explains. “He was like an alien coming in and fucking everything up so much that even the legends beforehand are like, ‘Okay… what is happening here? What sorcery is this?’”
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
