Update: Joe Bonamassa has confirmed in a video statement that his Los Angeles home was unaffected by the fires. Thanking the Los Angeles Fire Department, the guitarist said, “My heart goes out to the people who have lost everything in the last two days.”
One of Joe Bonamassa’s Nerdville museums, which doubles as one of the world’s largest collections of vintage electric guitar and acoustic guitar gear, is currently under threat from wildfires that are currently devastating Los Angeles.
Earlier this week, a series of wildfires broke out across the LA area, with at least five out-of-control blazes still currently tearing through large portions of the city. At the time of writing, more than 130,000 individuals have been forced to flee their homes, and at least five people have died.
According to reports, almost 2,000 structures – including homes, schools and businesses – have all been destroyed in the fires, which are currently ripping through the areas of Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Sunset (as per California fire officials).
The surrounding area of Laurel Canyon and Hollywood Hills, near where Bonamassa’s Nerdville West home and gear museum is located, is also under threat from one of the blazes, with JoBo taking to social media to issue an update surrounding the threat.
“It's not in my hands anymore,” he wrote. “A very hard place to be as a curator. It's my lifetime of work. I knew this day would come eventually but just not today. So far so good tonight but the situation is very fluid.
“A major thanks to the firefighters and first responders for giving it their all these past few days. Stay safe Los Angeles. These are uncertain and unprecedented times.”
The post was accompanied by a picture of the Nerdville sign, seemingly taken by Bonamassa during an evacuation of the area. As per the LA Times, an evacuation zone was enforced around the areas of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Mulholland Drive and Hollywood Boulevard.
Bonamassa also shared a snap of what seemed to be a large collection of his guitars being stored away in a garage.
“This is what it looks like when your city is burning,” Bonamassa had written in a previous post, accompanied with a picture of the smoke-filled LA skyline. ‘It is like the sky is bruised and battered. I am heartbroken for all the Angelenos who lost their homes overnight.”
Bonamassa’s is perhaps the most celebrated collection of vintage guitar gear currently around, and comprises many notable and high-profile guitars, amps and other assorted pieces of cultural, historical and musical significance.
Pieces in the Nerdville inventory include Lowell George's Dumble, Tommy Bolin’s mythical Bolin ’Burst, and a mint ’58 Gibson Flying V.
Whether any or all of these pieces are situated in Nerdville West is unclear, but it’s worth mentioning that not all of Bonamassa’s gear is stationed at the LA property: some of it is currently residing at Nerdville East – the Nashville offshoot of Bonamassa’s collection that houses its own fair share of vintage gear.
It’s not the first time Nerdville West has been faced with a fire scare, either. Last year, it was reported that Bonamassa’s gear collection almost went up in flames, after a fire erupted in the neighbouring area.
The safety and wellbeing of human life is currently of the utmost importance as officials continue to battle the ongoing wildfires.
Visit Joe Bonamassa’s Instagram account to keep updated.
In 2023, Bonamassa also welcomed Guitarist into Nerdville to show off some of the most prized guitars in his collection and share the stories behind his favorite pieces of gear.
