Long Lost Love Found

Peter Frampton plans to play his long-lost, plane crash guitar: 31 years goneand still rocking

Peter Frampton changed the business of music forever in 1976 when he released his wildly successful double live album Frampton Comes Alive. In Wayne's World 2, Wayne Campbell acknowledged the album's status among rock fans when he says, "Everybody in the world has Frampton Comes Alive. If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it".

Three hit singles were released from the album — "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do" and "Show Me the Way." "The Do You Feel Like We Do" single version was edited down from the 14-minute album version to seven minutes and was still almost twice the length of the average hit single — one of the longest ever to make the Top 40.

Although the album came out 36 years ago, there is, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. The iconic guitar (a distinctive black 1954 custom Gibson Les Paul electric guitar with three humbucking pickups as opposed to the usual two) became lost in 1980 when a cargo plane carrying Frampton's gear crashed while flying to Panama. All of the instruments were thought to be destroyed.

"I am still in a state of shock, first off, that the guitar even exists, let alone that it has been returned to me."

While the details are still a bit murky, somehow the guitar has been found on the Dutch island of Curacao by two fans with the assistance of the Curacao Tourist Board. The Gibson Guitar Company has verified that the guitar is indeed the real deal.

"I am still in a state of shock, first off, that the guitar even exists, let alone that it has been returned to me," Frampton said in a statement. "I know I have my guitar back, but I will never forget the lives that were lost in this crash. I am so thankful for the efforts of those who made this possible . . .

"And, now that it is back I am going insure it for 2 million dollars and it's never going out of my sight again! It was always my #1 guitar and it will be reinstated there as soon as possible — some minor repairs are needed."

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Affluent Houston suburbs top list of biggest holiday spenders in U.S.

Female shopper, mall, escalator.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Residents in The Woodlands looove to do up the holidays.

It looks like Santa Claus is going to be competing with residents in The Woodlands to see who brings the most lavish holiday gifts this year.

This festive Houston neighbor ranked No. 13 in WalletHub's annual report on U.S. cities with the biggest holiday budgets in 2024.

Residents in this well-to-do suburb are expected to spend $3,395 on their Christmas gifts this year. That's up $79 from the $3,316 they were ready to drop in the 2023 ranking — but it bumped them down three spots from their previous ranking at No. 10.

The U.S. Census Bureau says that The Woodlands' estimated population of 114,436 had a median household income of $130,011 in 2023. No wonder they have the extra cash to spare.

The Woodlands consistently makes the list of the top 15 U.S. cities with the biggest holiday spenders, outshining its Houston neighbor Sugar Land, which slipped one spot this year from their previous high ranking of No. 14 in 2023.

The average holiday budget in Sugar Land is still an exorbitant amount – $3,214 – but that only garnered the city No. 15 in the overall ranking out of 558 U.S. cities. You gotta spend to stay on top.

The No. 1 city in the U.S. for biggest holiday spenders in 2024 is Newton, Massachusetts, a wealthy suburb right outside of Boston, where the median income measured in 2022 was $176,373. Slots 2 through 5 were all cities in California's Silicon Valley: Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Milpitas.

Six additional Houston-area cities landed in this year's biggest holiday budgets, including:

No. 25 – League City ($2,897)
No. 60 – Pearland ($2,223)
No. 238 – Pasadena ($1,267)
No. 292 – Missouri City ($1,204)
No. 355 – Conroe ($1,087)
No. 477 – Baytown ($824)

Meanwhile, Houston proper landed at No. 241 this year with an average holiday budget of $1,334.

Each year, WalletHub calculates the maximum holiday budget for over 550 U.S. cities "to help consumers avoid post-holiday regret," the website says. The study factors in income, age of the population, and other financial indicators such as debt-to-income ratio, monthly-income-to monthly-expenses ratio, and savings-to-monthly-expenses ratio.

Whether a Houstonian's holiday budget is under $200 or more than $1,000, it's better to prioritize remaining within that budget instead of racking up the credit card bill, according to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

"There are plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays and show you care without spending much money, like hosting potlucks or giving handmade gifts," said Lupo.

Other Texas cities that made it into the top 100 are:

No. 7 – Flower Mound ($3,541)
No. 11 – Frisco ($3,412)
No. 18 – Allen ($3,070)
No. 23 – Cedar Park ($2,930)
No. 32 – Plano ($2,658)
No. 39 – Round Rock ($2,538)
No. 45 – North Richland Hills ($2,484)
No. 52 – McKinney ($2,386)
No. 76 – Richardson ($1,980)
No. 81 – Carrollton ($1,932)
No. 87 – Austin ($1,905)
No. 92 – Lewisville ($1,848)

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