Eddie Vedder saved an Irish rock band over the weekend, offering up his own electric guitar for use after all their gear had been stolen.
Two days after playing at the iconic Troubadour in West Hollywood, Florence Road were scheduled to play Vedder’s Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California.
However, they were forced to pull out, announcing they’d had all their guitars and pedalboards stolen from their van. In a statement posted to Instagram, the band wrote, “We’ve tried absolutely everything to make it happen.”
Latest Videos FromGuitar World
Vedder heard of Florence Road’s troubles and came to their rescue. Not only did he help find them a new evening slot to play on Saturday night, he personally gave frontwoman Lily Aron his own guitar so the set could go ahead.
“What an insane 48 hours!!!” Aron wrote on Florence Road’s Instagram. “We couldn’t be more grateful to Eddie Vedder and the team at Ohana Festival. The second Eddie heard our guitars were stolen he insisted I play his. A true gentleman.”
Aron also shared a picture of Vedder handing over his heavily decorated black Fender Telecaster, which flashes a ‘Joe Strummer Trash City’ sticker below the bridge.
Vedder is no stranger to a sticker-bound Telecaster, and this particular model looks like the Pearl Jam frontman’s own DIY take on the Joe Strummer’s Custom Shop signature guitar.
Strummer, a man whose sticker antics characterized his relationship with the guitar, was honored by Fender in 2024 with a Masterbuilt recreation of his main axe.
Whatever the story behind Vedder’s Tele, it was graciously gifted temporarily to Florence Road, who were able to continue their run of US shows in style thanks to the Seattle icon.
Florence Road have yet to release their debut album, but they’ve emerged as one of rock’s most exciting modern acts. The four-piece have toured with Wolf Alice and Olivia Rodrgio, and have millions of likes on TikTok. And now they’ve been championed by Vedder.
Head over to Florence Road’s Instagram page to check out their material.
