Like MGMT, but in a much (much) different way, Faith No More fans are a relatively distinct bunch, often noticeable only in behavior: Take the exodus of Coheed and Cambria fans as they futilely tried to leave after their band’s billing, only to be caught in a swarm of rabid FNM’ers who flew forward like a f*#king battering ram, cutting a swath towards the stage through any poor schmucks in the way. A lot of Faith No More’s fans here were younger kids who’d never seen the band and had familiarized themselves with Patton and co. since their break-up 12 years ago. It made for a particularly merciless hazing, as the young punks were inducted into a world of stage diving, moshing, and random celebrity cameos — during “Ashes to Ashes,” singer Mike Patton’s friend Danny Devito scurried across the stage, giving us a goofy look before ducking quickly behind the drum riser.

Mike Patton stumbled out, old man cane in hand, and serenaded the crowd with keyboardist Roddy Bottum in a cover of Peaches and Herb’s “Reunited.” After that it was a plunge headfirst into a reliably crunchy set. It was like watching long-lost lovers run towards each other across a festival field, arms outstretched, and then beat the living piss out of one another.

“From Out of Nowhere,” “Caffeine,” and “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” blended seamlessly with the Motown-injected “Just a Man” and a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Ben,” during which Patton jumped off stage, wading out amongst the fans to croon with the crowd (check out snazzy vid below). Finally he climbed one of the photo pit gates, dove head-first into the mob, and was thrown around the crowd to receive his 12 years’ due. His plan to be heaved towards stage didn’t work so well; I noticed more girl hands grabbing for him than guys. Mike had to shove the microphone into his mouth and pray he made it back on stage in time for mainstays like “Epic” and “We Care a Lot.” He did, and didn’t miss a beat. As for standing still, as many of the other bands’ fans were prone to today, the crowd here were having none of it. A tsunami of bodies crested forward, and soon we were all in the undertow of the sacred FNM pit. This was the most aggressive crowd at the Festival, though I don’t know if that’s really saying much.

I’d never appreciated certain things in the past — namely Jon Hudson’s guitar playing and Billy Gould on bass, the latter of which has an amazing talent for hitting some of the most intricate rhythms I’ve seen. Mike Bordin never missed a beat, and Roddy proved that he really had a pretty decent singing vox along with those keyboard skills. But on the closing “Just a Man” it was lead singer Patton that really took over, showcasing his amazing voice and talent as a frontman, which blew away pretty much every single other person at the festival. It’s good to see them together again after all these years, and despite their knack for self-deprecation, they’re better than ever.

Words by Jeff Nau, Photos by Manuel Gomez