Steve Vai stolen guitar returned

A guitar stolen from Steve Vai at a charity show in LA has been returned.

The singer’s signature JEM Ibanez, nicknamed Bo, was taken from the loading area of The Wiltern Theater on December 12 – but it was found in bushes outside his home.

Vai’s webmaster posted online: “Great news, everyone – Bo, Steve’s mirrored JEM that went missing this past weekend, has been found left in the bushes at the gate on Steve’s property. We do not have any more details on how it got there and will perhaps forever remain a mystery.

“The entire Vai camp is grateful for all the amazing outpouring of support we have seen regarding this issue over the last week. Bo is now ready for 2016 and all the notes she will once again be singing from Steve’s fingers and soul.”

Steve Vai is not the first touring musician to be targeted by thieves.

Patti Smith wept as belongings stolen from her in 1979 were returned to her in October.

Items in the bag included a Keith Richards t-shirt, a top she wore on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in 1978, and a piece of cloth given to her by brother and road manager Todd Smith, who died in 1994.

And earlier this year, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood took to the stage with a Fender guitar which had been stolen from him while the band were on tour in Denver, October 1995.

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.