Pitchfork

Photo by Aaron Vanimere

Uh oh. Head to R.E.M.'s website right now and you'll find an urgent S.O.S. which pretty much says it all:

Sadly, Peter [Buck]'s signature Rickenbacker guitar was stolen from the stage immediately following tonight's [September 9] performance in Helsinki, Finland. This is Peter's infamous signature Rick, which has been the staple of Peter's arsenal both live and in the studio since the band released Chronictown in 1982. Needless to say, this instrument means a great deal to Peter and to R.E.M. It is our sincere hope that whoever is responsible for the loss, or whoever has information which can help recover the guitar, will come forward to receive a generous reward, no questions asked.

C'mon you stealer people, that is not cool! Anyhow, that's Peter rocking his signature Rick in the background above; for a couple nice, clear shots of the thing, head here. Thanks to reader Anders J. Nielsen for the tip.

On the bright side, R.E.M. have added quite a few tour dates since we last checked in with the guys. They pick up again in Tallinn, Estonia tomorrow night (September 11) and bop about Europe through October, then head to the U.S. for a pair of gigs, Accelerate all over South America, and finally hit the brakes in Mexico City in mid-November.

In other news, Peter Buck will curate a volume of Merge's big SCORE! anniversary box set series thinger.

R.E.M.:

09-11 Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Tallinn Arena *
09-12 Riga, Latvia - Arena *
09-14 Vilnius, Lithuania - Siemens Arena *
09-17 Oberhausen, Germany - Konig-Pilsener Arena *
09-18 Hamburg, Germany - Color Line Arena *
09-20 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal *
09-21 Geneva, Switzerland - Arena *
09-23 Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle *
09-24 Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion *
09-26 Bologna, Italy - Palamalaguti Arena *
09-27 Turin, Italy - Palaolimpico *
09-30 Murcia, Spain - Plaza de Toros de las Ventas *
10-01 Madrid, Spain - Plaza de Toros de las Ventas *
10-04 Istanbul, Turkey - Turkcell Kurucesme Arena
10-24 Dallas, TX - Nokia Theatre #
10-26 New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Music Festival
10-29 Bogota, Columbia - Parque Simón Bolívar
11-01 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Club Ciudad
11-03 Santiago, Chile - Movistar Arena
11-04 Santiago, Chile - Movistar Arena
11-06 Porto Alegre, Brazil - Zequinha Stadium
11-08 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Arena
11-10 São Paulo, Brazil - Via Funchai
11-11 São Paulo, Brazil - Via Funchai
11-14 Lima, Peru - Jockey Club del Peru
11-16 Caracas, Venezuela - Festival
11-18 Mexico City, Mexico - Auditorio Nacional

* with We Are Scientists
# with Old 97's