20 Years Ago Today: The Great White Club Fire That Killed 100

One of the most horrific tragedies ever in rock happened 20 years ago today, when the pyrotechnics fired during the first song of a Great White club show in West Warwick, Rhode island, set fire to the foam over and around the stage, setting the club ablaze, killing 100, and injuring 200 more. Great White's road manager at the time, Daniel Biechele, who set off the pyrotechnics, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter, and served 2 of the four years he was sentenced to. The two brothers who owned the Station Nightclub, site of the fire, Jeff and Michael Derderian, pleaded no contest. Michael served prison time; Jeff got 500 hours of community service. Here is the recounting of the events of that day, and the aftermath, complete with comments from former Great White front man Jack Russell, comments from victims, the details of civil actions, and more: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/great-white-concert-fire/