“Get down!” a lady could be heard saying, alerting the band’s supervisor within the parking zone. “Somebody ring the police!” Offscreen voices encourage individuals to remain inside for his or her security, and two males run previous right into a automobile that drummer Al Greenwood and vocalist Alex Rice later described to The Standard as a “getaway automotive.”
Amazingly, the band members misplaced none of their musical gear, permitting the seven-date tour to maneuver ahead. But private objects — gadgets, paperwork, and journals — have been stolen.
“Different individuals misplaced completely different stuff,” Rice mentioned from Sacramento forward of sound test. “Luckily, I had my passport on me, however lots of people misplaced their passports. All of our laptops, cameras, Kindles. But I assume on the finish of the day, we’re simply reflecting on how fortunate we’re to all be protected.”
The van’s home windows have been smashed, however the band rapidly obtained a substitute after reporting the incident to police.
The episode might by no means have occurred had the band’s preliminary flight not been canceled, forcing them to rebook and arrive at SFO late Monday night time.
The Standard has reached out to the Vallejo Police Department however didn’t obtain a response by publication time.
The band members mentioned it wasn’t a lot the crime that left them shaken because the shock over a daytime armed theft. Gun-related crimes are virtually remarkable in Britain. “The odd bit for us, trigger I assume we have been all in shock, is that within the U.Okay. at the very least, you don’t see weapons,” Greenwood mentioned. “If somebody pulls a gun out, you’ve obtained a SWAT workforce there in 5 minutes, and the entire road’s closed down for per week.”
Bright Antenna, Sports Team’s label, relies in Mill Valley, so the band has been to the Bay Area a number of occasions. The incident hasn’t soured the musicians on California, they insist, noting that they’re having fun with Mexican meals and the sunshine at a time of 12 months when it’s gloomy within the U.Okay.
“We fly again on the sixteenth,” Rice mentioned. “So hopefully we’ll all make it dwelling for Christmas.”
