Thieves Swipe $40,000 Worth Of Music Equipment From Led Zeppelin Tribute Band
ANAHEIM (CBS) — Fans of a popular tribute band were working to get them back on tour after thieves had stolen all the group's instruments.
The four members that make Led Zepagain, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, make their livings off performing. For a decade they had invested in and collected the instruments and gear that was stolen.
"Musicians bring happiness to people or in our case we bring back fond memories to people. And you just go like, 'How could this happen to us,'" lead singer Swan Montgomery said.
After two performances in the Bay area Saturday night, their tour van was broken into and thieves stole their equipment, which included six guitars, a keyboard, drums and gear -- about 70 items in total, worth nearly $40,000.
"I just felt like my heart was ripped out. Because, as far as I'm concerned, a musical instrument is like an extension of a musician. It's very, very personal," Montgomery said.
"So you just never think it's going to happen to you. You know it's a risk, but when you've gone through that many years with not having anything like that go on, it's a real, real shock when it does happen," said bassist/keyboardist Jim Wooten.
Montgomery is the band's lead singer; Wooten plays the bass, keyboard and mandolin.
They said the alarm had been cut and that it looked like a professional job.
But they said that the custom pieces will be hard to sell.
They have such a large fan base that just in the past two days their Facebook page had lit up with well wishes and offers to lend gear for their upcoming gigs. They started a donation page, which had already grown significantly.
"You don't know how many people's lives you've impacted by what you do in a positive way until something like this happens," Wooten said.
The group did not plan to cancel their upcoming shows, which included one expected to take place Saturday at The Grove in Anaheim.
If you'd like to donate visit: www.wepay.com/donations/led-zepagain
Visit the band's website or Facebook page for more information.
