Bert McCracken Will Miss Immediate Shows to Address Mental Health

The Slam Dunk Festival is coming up this weekend, but The Used will not be performing at the two festival stops. That’s because, as singer Bert McCracken has revealed, he’s taking some time to address his mental health.

“I have always been open about my struggle with mental health and have recently found myself facing new and overwhelming challenges,” says the singer. “For this reason, I won’t be able to play the upcoming shows at Slam Dunk. I am so sorry but needed to make this decision to focus on professional treatment and self-care.”

He went on to add, “Performing live for The Used fans is one of my greatest joys, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. We have the best fans in the world, thank you for your undying support.”

In 2017, McCracken opened up about how Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington had saved his life in 2004 during a time in which he states he had been “deadly suicidal.”

In 2004, McCracken’s high school sweetheart, Kate, died suddenly while carrying the couple’s unborn child.

“There’s a lot of stigma surrounding depression, we know there’s no cure. And to speak of suicide with any connotations to selfishness makes me sick and so angry that I end conversations immediately,” McCracken says. “Chester was there for me at a time where I was deadly suicidal and he saved my life in 2004. The fact that nobody was able to be there for him in those moments is something we all should think about.”

He added, “How I’ve chosen to deal with the death of Chester [is] the opposite way I dealt with death in the past and that’s not internalize anything and maybe speak about it all the time, put it out there to fans, strangers even. And in that way I kind of feel more connected to what depression might be, more a problem of humanity, a problem with American entitlement and boredom.”

While The Used won’t be playing the Slam Dunk shows, there is a bit of time off from the road before they were scheduled to perform again. The band will kick off their summer tour plans on July 16 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California. See all their scheduled dates and get ticketing info here.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website. Resource information is provided for free as well as a chat message service. To speak directly to a professional, call 1-800-273-8255. You are not alone and help is available. Every life is important.