Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_en_mu/nightclub_fire_great_white;_ylt=Ai.I5wz14YOpiGgcJea.G7RxFb8C)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Police and firefighters showed up early for a recent Great White concert at a Cincinnati nightclub — just to be sure no pyrotechnics would be used.


With a new tour and a new album, Great White has tried pressing forward since its pyrotechnics ignited the Feb. 20, 2003, fire that killed 100 people, including Great White guitarist Ty Longley, and injured 200 others at The Station nightclub in West Warwick.

Five years later, though,the band's connection to the deadly blaze is hard to shake.

Tony Heitz, manager of Annie's, the Cincinnati club where 600 fans enjoyed a show without any problems, noted that "you'd have to be in a cave" not to have heard about the fire.

The band, which enjoyed success in the 1980s with its blend of blues and hard rock, reunited last year with original members to mark their 25th anniversary, issued a new studio album and spent the last two months touring Europe.

They have steered clear of Rhode Island, where many victims' relatives still hold them at least partly responsible for the fire and remain upset that only the club owners, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, and the band tour manager, Daniel Biechele, were held criminally responsible.

"I don't see why they are out there playing, why anybody would even want to go hear them," said Diane Mattera, whose daughter, Tammy Mattera-Housa, died.

After the fire, Mattera uprooted a memorial cross placed at the fire site for Longley and left a note saying the cross didn't belong there because Longley and the band had killed her daughter.

The band's label, Shrapnel Records, did not return calls for comment. An e-mail attempt to contact the band went unreturned.

Great White guitarist Mark Kendall told The Associated Press in a 2006 interview that The Station nightclub fire was a "full-blown American tragedy."

"I was sad to be a witness to it. It was just a nightmare," he said.

Hundreds of survivors and victims' relatives are suing the people who made up the band at the time of the fire (the band's lineup has changed several times). Their lawyer, Steven Richard, declined to comment because the case is still pending.

But fans, even those injured in the fire, have been more forgiving.

Linda Fisher, who suffered third-degree burns, still performs their signature ballad, "Save Your Love," on karaoke machines. She also sang it onstage with Great White lead singer Jack Russell at a concert in Pennsylvania months after the fire.

"I still think they screwed up, I still think they used poor judgment, but there's been nights where I used poor judgment," she said.

Great White laid low after the fire, then began touring to raise money for The Station Family Fund, which was created to help survivors with medical bills and other expenses.

Todd King, a fire survivor who helped found the fund, said while some victims' relatives were upset with Great White's fundraising role, the band raised about $100,000 for the fund.

"I had to weigh both ends against the middle," he said. "We were in dire need of funds, and they were raising funds."

But fund co-founder Theresa O'Toole said the band was probably helping itself as much as it was helping the survivors.

"They needed to do something to help their situation, and we were it," she said.

Great White emerged in the 1980s as part of the so-called "hair band" genre, where groups found success with a formula of loud guitars, power ballads — and big hair. Their biggest hit was a cover of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten Twice Shy," and they scored platinum albums and a Grammy nomination.

But by February 2003, their heyday had long passed and they were touring venues like The Station, a roadside nightclub in West Warwick with a capacity of less than 500 that routinely hosted 1980s rock groups and tribute bands to groups like KISS.

"I don't see why they are out there playing, why anybody would even want to go hear them," said Diane Mattera, whose daughter, Tammy Mattera-Housa, died.

maybe because some people like that type of music? She should think about the way she probably loves Barry Manilow, Michael Bolton and Josh Groban, some people feel that way about hard rock bands.

Personally, I think it's good they get back in the groove instead of letting this tragedy destroy the band for good. The Who, AC/DC and The Rolling Stones all had concert tragedies and didn't give up afterwards. Hell, Altamont and Cincinnati didn't do a thing to get fans to stop wanting to see the Stones or The Who. Granted, Great White are no Stones/Who, but still... they're a rock band who loves to entertain

I can't believe that it's been five years already. It really seems like yesterday. One of the owners of the club was a popular former tv anchor here, and seeing that it happened in New England, we've had more coverage. If one of my loved ones died, I wouldn't be interested in seeing them again, but that's a personal decision. I don't care what anyone says, that band was negligent, using pyro in such a small club. I can still see that footage. Those poor people didn't stand a chance. 100 people dead, just awful.

By the way, the lineup of the band at that time wasn't the with the original members, but going by the name "Jack Russell's Great White", which was a band who went by the name under the lead vocalist's control.

They have a great new song out now, called "Back In the Rhythm" that sounds very 70's-ish and quite a feel-good rockin' song. I like it. I remember about nine years ago, I wanted to go see them at a club in Seattle when they were promoting another cool song called "Rolling Stoned". I was really big into so-called "hair" metal and 80's rock back then, primarily because there wasn't much to write home about in rock. 80's bands were so awesome, they were really about something, rather than a bunch of trendy anti-metal stuff going on back almost ten years ago.

I think some people (like the families of the dead, well, a lot of people in general in all circumstances) love to find someone at fault. IMO, nobody was truly at fault, it was a freak accident and I don't think anyone meant to kill anyone. Granted, Great White shouldn't have used the pyros if they were playing such small clubs (compared to when I saw the Stones in an outdoor stadium setting where some 50,000 were in attendance and they had fireworks and everything), but I don't think they, their manager (who is doing time) or the Station's owners ever meant any harm. I believe there's a huge difference between a royal screw-up like this, and someone who commits murder with malicious intent.

I think enough time has passed that the band should be able to put this behind them, the way The Who and The Stones both were able to put the tragic concert events behind them and carry on. I was never a big fan of theirs and probably wouldn't see them if they came to town (not due to fear of fire, but just because I'm not a big fan) but not too long back, I heard "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" on the classic rock station and cranked it up because it was a really good song and still holds up almost 20 years later. And THAT is why someone would want to see them in concert I think (meant in reference to the mother who blames Great White for her daughter's death who doesn't know why anyone would want to see them in concert because it's not her type of music... your daughter apparently liked them enough to).

^ referring to Once Bitten, Twice Shy (which was their biggest hit by far, tho it was a remake). It just now dawned on me the tragic irony that the song has the line "you didn't know that rock and roll burned. And then you got a candle and you lit and you learned"

I think some people (like the families of the dead, well, a lot of people in general in all circumstances) love to find someone at fault. IMO, nobody was truly at fault, it was a freak accident and I don't think anyone meant to kill anyone. Granted, Great White shouldn't have used the pyros if they were playing such small clubs (compared to when I saw the Stones in an outdoor stadium setting where some 50,000 were in attendance and they had fireworks and everything), but I don't think they, their manager (who is doing time) or the Station's owners ever meant any harm. I believe there's a huge difference between a royal screw-up like this, and someone who commits murder with malicious intent.

I think enough time has passed that the band should be able to put this behind them, the way The Who and The Stones both were able to put the tragic concert events behind them and carry on. I was never a big fan of theirs and probably wouldn't see them if they came to town (not due to fear of fire, but just because I'm not a big fan) but not too long back, I heard "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" on the classic rock station and cranked it up because it was a really good song and still holds up almost 20 years later. And THAT is why someone would want to see them in concert I think (meant in reference to the mother who blames Great White for her daughter's death who doesn't know why anyone would want to see them in concert because it's not her type of music... your daughter apparently liked them enough to).
The mother wasn't referring to the type of music. She was questioning why anyone would want to hear this band, after what they did. Nothing to do with the music.

Yes, people were at fault. They broke the law. The two owners and the band's manager were found guilty of manslaughter, 100 counts. Two are in prison. It was a tiny club. Pyro never should have been used. The band had gotten into trouble with their pyro shows before this tragedy, but nobody died. You don't have to have malicious intent to not be responsible. If you're walking on a sidewalk, and a bucket of hot tar falls from above and just about knocks your head off and kills you...and it's because the roofer above was an idiot who placed the bucket too close to the edge and it got tipped over...he's still at fault even though if wasn't his intent to kill someone when he woke up that day.

What happened at The Stones and The Who concerts don't compare to this case. Overcrowding, poor crowd management, and that sort of thing is the stadium's fault.

The mother wasn't referring to the type of music. She was questioning why anyone would want to hear this band, after what they did. Nothing to do with the music.

Yes, people were at fault. They broke the law. The two owners and the band's manager were found guilty of manslaughter, 100 counts. Two are in prison. It was a tiny club. Pyro never should have been used. The band had gotten into trouble with their pyro shows before this tragedy, but nobody died. You don't have to have malicious intent to not be responsible. If you're walking on a sidewalk, and a bucket of hot tar falls from above and just about knocks your head off and kills you...and it's because the roofer above was an idiot who placed the bucket too close to the edge and it got tipped over...he's still at fault even though if wasn't his intent to kill someone when he woke up that day.

What happened at The Stones and The Who concerts don't compare to this case. Overcrowding, poor crowd management, and that sort of thing is the stadium's fault.

yes, that is true on all counts. I do think it was a little cold of her to remove the guitarists' memorial cross. Maybe he was part of the band, but he also lost his life and had a family that misses him as well. From what I heard, Jack Russell (the lead singer and only member with the band at the time of the fire who was in the band during their late 80's prime) was devastated over this incident and pretty much went into seclusion for a long time after the tour raising money for the victims wound down. I don't think they're bad guys, they lost one of their own during this whole mess, I think it was just poor judgment and failure to accept the fact that it wasn't 1989 anymore, so they can't have the type of stage settings they had at their peak. I think it's a lose/lose situation for all involved. Great White toured to raise money for the families of the tragedy but still they are hated by those people and are going to have this black cloud over them until the last member is dead.

Interesting note about the Who concert tragedy, I was born the day that went down. I'm only a moderate Who fan (I like The Beatles and Stones better in terms of British invasion groups, tho they are decent) but I always watch whatever documentaries air about that event just because I was born that day, so it always fascinates me just for that reason alone (I have a friend who was born the day of Jonestown and is always in the know whenever a Jonestown retrospective airs so she can watch the day she was born). I wonder if something like that occuring on the day of my birth helped me become a huge music fan, since that was probably the biggest music news story of 1979.

yes, that is true on all counts. I do think it was a little cold of her to remove the guitarists' memorial cross. Maybe he was part of the band, but he also lost his life and had a family that misses him as well. From what I heard, Jack Russell (the lead singer and only member with the band at the time of the fire who was in the band during their late 80's prime) was devastated over this incident and pretty much went into seclusion for a long time after the tour raising money for the victims wound down. I don't think they're bad guys, they lost one of their own during this whole mess, I think it was just poor judgment and failure to accept the fact that it wasn't 1989 anymore, so they can't have the type of stage settings they had at their peak. I think it's a lose/lose situation for all involved. Great White toured to raise money for the families of the tragedy but still they are hated by those people and are going to have this black cloud over them until the last member is dead.

Interesting note about the Who concert tragedy, I was born the day that went down. I'm only a moderate Who fan (I like The Beatles and Stones better in terms of British invasion groups, tho they are decent) but I always watch whatever documentaries air about that event just because I was born that day, so it always fascinates me just for that reason alone (I have a friend who was born the day of Jonestown and is always in the know whenever a Jonestown retrospective airs so she can watch the day she was born). I wonder if something like that occuring on the day of my birth helped me become a huge music fan, since that was probably the biggest music news story of 1979.
That is interesting, how that happened on the day you were born. Same for your friend and the Jonestown tragedy. I remember hearing about both of them. I think electricity was discovered the day I was born. :lol:

Regarding Great White, it just breaks my heart. As I posted earlier, where I live, we were literally saturated with coverage of the tragedy. Not just when it happened...the trial, everything. We read and heard a lot of personal stories of the victims. That footage of the fire haunts me to this day, when they first started to play and those first few minutes before all hell broke loose. I can still see Ty Longley on stage. He was so cute with that long hair and vest. His girlfriend was pregnant. I know it tore the rest of the band up emotionally. Who wants that guilt on their head.

A lot of those victims died months later, as they survived but were burned so bad. For the longest time, the death toll was 99, then months later, it just turned to 100. I know the band didn't mean to kill anyone, but carelessness is often deadly, and actions have consequences. The owners, two brothers, had put up material behind the band that was highly-flammable and against code. There were countless code violations. That, with the pyro show, proved deadly. A perfect storm, so to speak.