R.E.M., Guitarist Peter Buck Grounded

Authorities were waiting on the ground at London's Heathrow Airport to apprehend Buck after it was reported that he had assaulted one of the flight attendants during the trip. Buck was seated in first class on the British Airways flight and had apparently been drinking quite heavily during the flight. After a concerned flight attendant informed Buck that his alcohol was going to be "cut off," he responded by physically assaulting the attendant. "Police were called to meet a flight at Heathrow following reports from the aircraft that a passenger had assaulted members of the cabin crew," a spokesperson from Scotland Yard told a British paper.

Buck has already admitted that he was intoxicated during the flight and has stated that he is "embarrassed" about the incident. At a brief hearing on Monday, Buck was formally charged with being drunk on an aircraft, assault, and causing criminal damage to a plane. He was released until his trial on June 18, which means that he will still be available to perform with R.E.M. at a South Africa Day Freedom Concert in Trafalgar Square, where Nelson Mandela will be in attendance.