Alt-Rock Band Cake Had Several Pieces of Equipment Stolen in Portland

On Monday morning, two of the band’s keyboards and three guitars were taken from a van parked at a hotel near the airport.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Big Hassle.
By Shannon Gormley

A week and a half before Cake's current tour stops in town, the alt-rock band has already run into problems in Portland.

On Monday morning, two of the band's keyboards and three guitars were stolen from a van parked at a hotel near the Portland airport. The van was bound for a storage facility following a show in Bend.

Representatives for Cake reported the theft to Portland Police and have been circulating the news on social media, but as of press time, haven't received any tips. Here is the list of stolen items:

According to Cake's tour manager Terry Gabis, the financial damage is "considerable," but the real damage is sentimental: "People have had them for years, so they're kind of irreplaceable."

It's not the first time a touring artist has lost equipment in Portland. In 2013, Brooklyn-based chamber pop act San Fermin had a whole trailer full of gear stolen, also from a hotel near the airport. And in 2015, someone yanked a guitar belonging to metal band Slipknot from a practice room at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Cake is scheduled to play Edgefield with Ben Folds on Sept. 7.

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