mike patton returned to the stage to mr bungleis set on December 8 in Santiago, Chile, marking the first live show he has played since early 2020.
Patton had steered clear of performing live for the past two years, citing “mental health reasons” that were exacerbated by the pandemic. As we previously reported, Patton admitted coping with alcoholism during the lonely days of confinement and said Rolling Stone who got depressed and finally diagnosed with agoraphobia.
The singer’s struggles led to the cancellation of 2021 tour dates for Mr Bungle and Faith No More. “We believe that going through with these dates would have had a profoundly destructive effect on Mike,” Faith No More stated at the time.
In a more recent interview with The Guardian, Patton said he had been sober “for a while” and was doing “pretty good”, adding: “But I’m also scared. I’m afraid of myself. … There are some problems afoot.”
Fortunately, Patton has been well enough to go ahead with Mr. Bungle’s South American tour. He was as lively as ever and he sounds great in the fan pictures from the December 8th concert. Since then, the band has played two more big shows in Santiago, including an appearance at Knotfest Chile last night (December 11), certainly a welcome sign for Patton and company.
At Knotfest Chile, Mr. Bungle even welcomed members of Sepultura to the stage to perform the latter’s “Territory”.
You can check out fan pictures from Mr. Bungle’s early shows below.
