Mike Patton is a man with many projects in the oven. Right now, he's promoting the upcoming Mr. Bungle release, but he's also got Faith No More, Tomahawk, and Dead Cross stuff in the works. One thing is for certain, he's not touring anytime soon.
Speaking to Consequence of Sound, Patton was asked how the pandemic affected him. He noted that initially it allowed him to hunker down and work on new music (specifically the new Bungle demo, a new release from Tomahawk and new Dead Cross).
Patton noted "When this stuff started, all I can think about is basically we were so lucky to do those Bungle shows when we did them in late February. I just felt lucky that we got those in. During the [pandemic], I had to cancel a year’s worth of shows. I was scheduled to be with Faith No More, doing a lot of different stuff on different continents. So, I took the pandemic as an opportunity … I like being at home and I’m not really a social guy anyway. So f**k it, I’ll stay home and make music. No big deal. So the first three months were like gold. I was totally working every day and during the pandemic I’ve worked on three or four different records. So to me, it wasn’t that much different than my norm. However, after like three months, I was like, “F**k this shit, this is getting old. Come on, I gotta go to a f**king restaurant.” And it became a little more laborious."
He continued "In San Francisco, where I’m at, some things are kind of open, some things are not. You don’t really understand the protocol and whatnot. It’s coming to that realization that you can’t get what you want when you want it. I think moving forward, during the pandemic — and there’s no end in sight, let’s be honest … let’s not listen to Trump — there’s no end in sight so this is the way we’re going to live for now. So it’s on me to figure out how do I adjust, and not just close myself up and isolate. I can’t do that."
When asked what it's going to take to get concerts back up and running, Patton responded "I’m not a scientist, my friend. What I would say is two words: “Doctor Fauci.” I ain’t doing shit and nobody’s going to do shit until we know it’s safe. Not just for us, but for everybody. Right now, a public gathering, which a concert really is, is not a good f**king idea. It’s not a good idea, and most of us keep that in mind. I’m not trying to push the envelope here. It’s not going to happen. So what we’ll do is basically wait until we’re told what we need can do. It’s f**king simple. Be safe, be cool. A lot of people and a lot of musicians don’t get that. But we’re not gonna play until we know for a f**king fact that it’s safe to do so."
In a recent survey, conducted by Pollstar and VenuesNow, 1,350 were asked live industry professionals asking a range of questions about when live events can return, and 54% think things will be back at full capacity in 2021. An additional 30.6% feel that concerts won't be back at full capacity until 2022.
Many experts have said the only way concerts can fully reopen is if venues embrace rapid testing. Live Nation is working with a plan of resuming activities next summer.
