Faith No More are set to headline NOS Alive 2027 on July 9, closing a wait that has stretched 17 years since their last Portuguese show. Mike Patton and the band will play the main NOS Stage at Passeio Marítimo de Algés, the riverside festival site just outside Lisbon. The festival runs July 8-10, and the band are the first name confirmed for day two.
Their 2010 appearance — when the festival was still called Optimus Alive — drew around 38,000 people to the opening night. Since then, two comeback attempts have collapsed. The band was booked for NOS Alive 2020, but the pandemic wiped out the festival, and the rescheduled 2022 slot also fell apart when the group cancelled their European tour after Patton stepped away from touring for mental health reasons.
The stakes are higher than just Portugal. Faith No More haven't played anywhere since 2016, so these newly announced 2027 international dates mark their first live shows in more than a decade. For fans, that makes Lisbon a plausible pick as one of the few chances to see a band whose 1989 breakthrough album "The Real Thing" — Patton's first, featuring "Epic" — and the darker 1992 follow-up "Angel Dust" reshaped what rock and metal could sound like. The current line-up is intact: Patton, bassist Billy Gould, drummer Mike Bordin, keyboardist Roddy Bottum and guitarist Jon Hudson.
The wider bill is shaping up well too. The Strokes, The Neighbourhood and Beirut play July 8, while Tame Impala, sombr and Myles Smith close the festival on July 10. Tickets are already on sale: €89 for a day pass, €178 for two days and €210 for the full three.
For travellers, this is a tidy excuse for a Lisbon summer trip. Algés is a short train ride from the city centre, so you can pair festival days with Lisbon's food, miradouros and beaches along the Cascais line. Given the band's history of cancelled Portuguese appearances, booking early — and holding a little flexibility — seems wise.
