Mike Patton will return to live action in December following agoraphobia diagnosis

Mike Patton is set to make a return to live performances in December, to play three South American shows with Mr. Bungle.

In September 2021, just days before Faith No More were set to play a series of headline gigs in America, Patton declared that he would be unable to commit to future touring plans with both FNM and Mr. Bungle, citing "mental health reasons".

"I have issues that were exacerbated by the pandemic that are challenging me right now," the singer posted on Twitter. "I don't feel I can give what I should at this point, and I am not going to give less than 100 percent."

"The bands' support me in this decision," he continued, "and we look forward to working through this in a healthy way."

In a July interview with Rolling Stone, Patton opened up about the mental health issues he has been facing, and revealed that he has been diagnosed with agoraphobia.

"I was afraid of people," he explained. "I got freaked out by being around people. And maybe that was because I spent two years basically indoors during Covid. I don’t know. Maybe it reinforced feelings that I already had."

"That sort of anxiety, or whatever you want to call it, led to other issues, which I choose not to discuss. But I got some professionals helping me, and now I’m feeling better and getting closer to diving back in. Towards the end of the year, I’ll be doing my first shows in, like, two years, which is the longest time since I started doing this, that I’ve been out of the game."

The dates Patton was presumably referring to have now been announced: Mr. Bungle will play dates in Chile, Argentina and Brazil in December.

The band will play:

Dec 11: Santiago, Estadio Monumental (‘Knotfest Chile‘)
Dec 15: Buenos Aires Teatro Flores, ARG
Dec 18: Sao Paulo Sambodromo Do Anhembi (‘Knotfest Brasil‘)

In his July interview with Rolling Stone, Patton was asked about the possibility of returning to live action with Faith No More. In answer to the question, Where do things stand with Faith No More now?, the singer replied: "Radio silence. [Laughs]. I don’t know. We may reschedule stuff; we may not. I’ll just leave it at that. It’s a little confusing and complicated. So if we do, we do. If we don’t, that’s cool, too."

Artists

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.