Good news for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Last week, five expensive and cherished guitars belonging to four of the band’s members were stolen while the guys were practicing for their upcoming tour. The theft was reported to police immediately, but by the time authorities arrived, the guilty had vanished. Unsure of whether search efforts would yield results, Petty and company put out notice that they’d pay seventy-five hundred dollars for information that led to the instruments’ safe return.
As of press time, it’s unclear whether someone bit on that offer, but what is known is that the guitars have been recovered undamaged by the police. According to TMZ, the items are now in the care of the authorities and one unidentified individual has been arrested for the theft.
All five of the guitars, a 1967 Rickenbacker, a 1968 Epiphone Sheridan, a blue Dusenberg, a Gibson SG TV Junior and a Fender Broadcaster, were set to be used on the band’s upcoming tour, and unless they’re needed for evidence at the thief’s trial, it seems likely they’ll wind up on stage.
With a week of wondering whether they’d ever see their favorite guitars again, now seems like as good of time as any to crank out my favorite Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song. Here’s “The Waiting”…
