$33,000 of equipment stolen from Minneapolis rock band

MINNEAPOLIS - The local rock band Cold Kingdom was forced to cancel several of its Midwest shows this weekend after nearly $34,000 worth of equipment was stolen from them in north Minneapolis early Friday morning. 

The band said on their Facebook page Friday the trailer containing their equipment was cut from its hitch between 2:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on 34th Ave. N. 

“They just sliced through the bolt that was connecting the trailer to the hitch on our van and probably just had to pick it up, put it on their hitch and just drove away,” Cold Kingdom lead vocalist Dani Engum said. 

The band was set to play shows in Rockford, Ill. on Friday and Fort Atkinson, Wis. on Saturday, but told Fox 9 they were forced to cancel those shows due to the theft. The band said they hope to return to tour on Oct. 10 for their show at Buster’s Bar in Mankato, Minn.

“Everybody wants to hit the big time, but it takes a lot of work and so getting together after a year of work and not being able to go anywhere is crippling.” Cold Kingdom guitarist Zac Boyd said. 

This is the first time Cold Kingdom has ever canceled a show.

On their Facebook page, the band posted a six-page list of the items inside the trailer, including a $15,000 drum set, microphones, equipment casing and some of the their music and merchandise. 

Cold Kingdom has already reported the theft to police and is asking fans to keep an eye out for the stolen equipment on Craigslist and EBay as well local pawn shops and music stores.

The band is now trying to figure out how to get back out on the road. After seeing the outpouring of support from fans on Facebook, the group set up a GoFundMe page to help recoup the costs of the equipment.

In two hours, fans had already donated more than $1,000.