Anybody seen the news this morning about Great White and the fire at their show in Rhode Island?So far at least 54 people have been confirmed dead.Sad day for the music world and heavy metal fans every where.What kind of moron let's a band have pyro technics in a wooden night club?The club owner had to be sniffing glue or something.I feel sorriest for the family members who lost loved ones in the blaze.They didn't even have fire exstinguishers or a sprinkler system in that club.
Ty Longley, one of the guitarists for Great White, the group that was playing at the club, was not seen leaving the building and was feared dead or trapped, the company that manages the group told NBC News 1 man amongst many but still sad to see musicians go P.S according to the article i read the club manager is the moron who approved the pyrotecnic show and it was probobly the styrofoam around the roof that caught more quickly and ignited the rest... but thats just what i got from a news articel... and everyone knows they don't actually investigate anymore just regurgitate statements and releases
This is very true.Ihope Ty shows up at a hospital.I've been a Great White fan since the early 80's.It was good to see that the rest of the band got out OK.
Did anyone else wonder when they were interviewing Jack Russell,that his voice seems awfully deep for the high notes that he hits?:grin:
It happened here too. This past Monday night, Pyrotechnics set off a fire at a club in downtown Mpls. Not with the destruction of these other fires, but still it doesn't seem like a very bright idea for a band to set them off in a confined space. With all these fires at night clubs lately, I would bet any smart club owner would refuse to let any band set those things off.
I'm sure alot of new fire safety laws are going to be implemented due to these tragedies lately.You have to have absolutely no common sense to let someone set of those pyrotechnics in a small club like that.And I thought ignorance only ran rampant here in DesMoines.:laugh:
The fire safety laws are in place now. Jack Russell is trying to play innocent here BUT: The band knows no pyro is allowed in a club like this. The club owner should know better. Jack Russell said "There was no fire extinguisher on stage" Who's fault is that? Isn't it the bands responsibility to make sure this is a safe event? Go find a fire extinguisher. They should have one of their own for that. "We didn't know we needed a permit for a pyro show." ?????What?? How many years have you been doing pyro shows? That's bull. They never contacted the fire department, because they knew the fire department would not issue a permit for that. Sorry, but the band and the club owner are at fault here. If this happend in my town, I would be after these guys for manslaughter at the least, if not murder charges.
Do you honestly think that a rock musician thinks about any of that? He is a performer and They get off the tour bus and go onstage and play. What happened is horrible but to blame the singer in the band? This isn't a witch hunt, it's normal to want to blame someone but to blame the band is not right. Bands do have Technicians and managers and a host of other people to deal with bookings and permits and things like that. My heart goes out to all of those who lossed their life and were injured.
Yeah, to sat that that the band knew they weren't allowed to do pyros is pretty unfair. Perhaps they knew, perhaps not. Hell, the manager said it was Okay. And did the band really know the place was a fire trap? All they knew was the manager said it was Okay. The pyro guys / roadies/ members of the bands entourage, whoever that may be, may realistically have gotten (or may always have been) unconcerned, lazy, or apathetic when it comes to these matters. Complacency about safety can be a dangerous thing, which is just what this sounds like -- "its never been a problem before, lets do the show!" The band members themselves? Positioning fire extinguishers, getting permits, checking local fire codes, inspecting the stage area for flammable materials -- that sure aint their job! Realistically, the owner will charged with however many counts of 3rd degree murder, the band and the pyro guys will be charged with however many counts of manslaughter, and everyone will be sued for a kajillion dollars. -- Steve
I can't believe this BS No one is ever responsible. Guess what? Safety is EVERYONE'S responsibility! 65+ people are dead because of this thinking. Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:blast:
It will take years to sort out in court who should have done what. The fact is, laws were broken and people died unnecessarily. I've been involved in building construction for many years as a licensed engineer. It always amazes me to hear the owner of a facility suggest that fire codes do not, or should not, apply to his facility. I have walked away from several situations where the Owner was unwilling to do the right thing and insisted on saving a couple of bucks. The big problem overall is that application and enforcement of laws is done unevenly and politically. Look at the nightclub disaster in Chicago - all kinds of "community leaders" are going to bat for the "other victim" - the negligent club owner! Just because of his ethnic background and his political connections - he's "done so much for the community" that the deaths of a couple dozen kids don't seem to matter! There are very explicit requirements for safe exiting that are contained in national and local codes. Chicago has their own more stringent code which is really only a guarantee that all the work in town is done by union labor - the public is no safer for it. And when the enforcement of the code is affected by politics and cronyism, people can and do die. One more thing - the band WILL pay, as they are probably the deepest pocket involved. Too bad that there will never be enough money to make up for the loss of life even after every cent they have is absorbed.
Very sad to have all these people die needlessly. Has anyone else seen the video of what happened. Plain as day the curtains in the background are flameing up big time and spreading over the ceiling and the video guy is backing out of there while most of the people are still waving their hands and beer bottles at the band like it's part of the show. At some point you have to take action to save your own butt.
I definitely don't think it was the band member's responsibility, i.e. the drummer, guitar player, vocalist. They could have refused to play -- not real likely. They are really just employees of the promotor, who essentially works for the venue owner. it aint like they are Big-time names (Elton John, Whitney, etc.) who have enough pull to call all the shots. walk off once, you may never play again. Yes, safety is everyone's responsibility. But to imply that the drummer was somehow at fault just for being on stage is pretty far-fetched. Analogy: those trench collapses you read about a couple times a year. Generally, 1) The worker's know its kinda dangerous by nature, but they don't realize how easiliy a collapse can occur or how fatal they are, or they have become complacent. 2) Their boss says don't worry about shoring or wall angle just dig the damn trench, cause I'm under pressure to hurry up / cut costs. 3) The people who truly know better figure a collapse won't happen and who wants to waste the money on shoring and boom, the diggers end up dead. By your reasoning, the trench diggers would be at fault -- they shoulda known better, and safety is everyone's job. In reality, we all damn well kknow who's fault it was. (Note: I am not disparing general contractors, foremen, bosses, etc. as a whole. But when you do see these collapses, that is generally the story.) I now here that the band did a show in NJ earlier in the week and just went ahead and did a pyro display without permission. One thing's for sure -- the band's insurance company is gonna ought a lotta bucks. -- Steve
Sorry to differ, but I deal with this kinda stuff on a daily basis. Jack Russell has ben doing this for.........what 20 years, or more. Believe me, he knows what the procedures are for using pyro at a show. This is part of his business. If not he, then his road manager did know. This is Jack Russell's band. In fact, it's not called Great White anymore, it's called Jack Russells' Great White. Well guess what, Jack Russell will be standing tall before the man on this one. He calls the shots and he will have to answer for it. I predict jail time for Mr. Russell. I still can't understand why some folks are trying to protect this moron. He, or someonme working for him under his direct control killed 96 innocent people because of stupidity. There has now been other club owners come forward and say that Mr. Russell has a history of trying this without the club owners permission, or fire department permit. 3rd point. Even if the club owner gave his permission, it was not his permission to give. This is regulated by the Fire Marshal's office. That;s like asking a business owner"Can I come in your place of business and shoot someone?" Even if he gives you his permission, it is still against the law. The fier marchal in this town has come forward and stated they were not contacted by the band, and definitely would NOT have given permission for this, as I would not have. Notice who is heading the investigation now. The ATF. The feds have taken this over,and will kick everyones butt that had anything to do with this. It will be federal charges now.
I didn't say the drummer, guitarists, bass player etc. was at fault. Jack Russell is. This is his band and from what I understand calls most of the shots. That would include the use of pyro. The club owner will be at fault as well. He is ultimately responsible for what happens in his place of business. And if I was a ditch digger, I would not get in an unsafe ditch. I would go work somewhere else before I risked my life for a hole in the ground. If you boys have ever pulled dead people out of a construction site, or dead burn victims out of a fire, you may feel differently. Just .02 cents from someone who has dedicated his life to preventing this kinda thing.
I would like to see the requirements for fire sprinklering change and become more stringent that ALL private club establishments, regardless of size, that serve alcohol would be required to install sprinkler systems. From my experience, (working in a local municipality for 13 years) small club owners would be quite upset with the cost associated with sprinklering. But hey, is it not worth it? Even existing non-conforming establishments should be required to sprinkler. A bunch of people together that have been drinking I assume, a fire breaks out, judgement is impared. Do you look for emergency exit signs? No. You run for the door you came in!!! Needless to say, the alcohol is flammable too!!!! Then there's our fire fighters that have to risk their lives everyday and face terrible tragedies like this. A sprinkler system may not have put out a fire like the one in the Rhode Island club, but it may have slowed it down and given more people time to get out. Fire sprinklers save lives. It's easy to lay blame, but why not try to come up with a solution? That's my opinion. Dee
