SEATTLE, Wash. — ‘Spirit of the Beehive’ is an indie rock band out of Philadelphia. They came to Seattle last Thursday as part of their latest tour, performing at ‘The Crocodile’.
“Probably the best one of the tour so far, ironically,” says band member, Zack Schwartz, about the concert.
But only hours later, their tour took a turn for the worse. The band was staying at a hotel near SeaTac airport, with their instruments and equipment locked in a van and trailer in the parking lot. Around four in the morning, surveillance video outside their hotel, shows thieves break in, then drive off with the van and trailer.
“The gear alone it was about $65,000 worth of equipment that we lost. All of our merch is in there- about $10,000 worth of merch. And then the van itself,” says band member Corey Wichlin.
Things that made their concerts possible were all stolen in minutes. Wichlin says years of writing and planning went into the tour.
“After the shock wore off, we all got very emotional,” says Wichlin.
They contacted law enforcement, who was able to track down their trailer. However, it was mostly empty. As for the van, deputies tracked the van to a South Seattle impound lot. But before Wichlin or Schwartz could go to the lot and get the van back, it had been stolen from the impound lot.
KIRO 7 went to the impound lot, where a manager says, “that happens sometimes”, when asked about vehicles being stolen from their property.
Because of the theft, the band has been forced to cancel their remaining 20 shows.
“This is a terrible situation but it’s not unique. Bands get robbed all the time,” says Schwartz. “Every band’s worst nightmare.”
Spirit of the Beehive hopes to return to performing soon. Following their theft, community members were eager to help them get back on their feet. A GoFundMe page for the band has already raised more than $65,000. The band tells KIRO 7, the money isn’t enough to salvage the tour, but it does allow them to pay tour staff and start to re-buy instruments and equipment.
Despite what happened outside Seattle, band members say they’re still fans of the Emerald City.
“We love Seattle. We love playing there,” says Schwartz. “We’re definitely going to come back to Seattle for sure.”