Great White Vows Great Charity
The rock band Great White returned to the stage Tuesday night, vowing to raise money for the victims of the nightclub fire that killed 99 people in Rhode Island.
Two members of the band, guitarist Mark Kendall and lead singer Jack Russell played an acoustic set in West Hollywood, Calif., that included a somber rendition of the song "Mother's Eyes" off of their 1994 album "Sail Away."
Russell burst into tears and had a very hard time composing himself to address the audience, reports Stephanie Roberts of CBS radio station KNX-AM.
"We're going to start a benefit tour this summer...with the proceeds going to help the families and all the people that were hurt and injured in the Station tragedy," Russell said.
"I can assure that this is just the beginning of the help that these people will receive on Great White's behalf. It's very important to us that we take care of our own," he added
People started arriving four hours before the band actually took the stage.
Five other bands performed, several of them bands in which Ty Longley, the guitarist who perished in the West Warick, R.I. fire Feb. 20, had also played before he joined Great White.
It's the start of what the band's attorney, Ed McPherson said will be a nationwide tour with other rock bands, with a percentage of the profits going to existing charities in Rhode Island.
"Their thoughts from the beginning have been, 'What are we going to do to help the victims?' And the only thing they do is perform." McPherson said.
"If this has taught me anything, it's how fragile and precious life really is," Russell said.
Investigators suspect the band's pyrotechnics ignited foam that had been placed on the club's walls for soundproofing. A grand jury is investigating.
Organizers of the latest concert said proceeds would be donated to a charity supervised by Longley's family and earmarked for a scholarship and trust fund for the 31-year-old musician's unborn child.
After reaching a career peak in 1990 with a cover of the Ian Hunter song "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," Great White has performed mainly as a nostalgia act at smaller venues.
In addition to founding members Kendall and Russell, its current lineup includes bass player Dave Filice and drummer Eric Powers.
Hours before the Great White members were to perform, about 100 ticket holders, flanked by nearly a dozen reporters and photographers, milled about the club. Most said they came to honor the memory of friends who died in the blaze.
Duane Serfass, 30, of San Francisco handed out badges with a photo of his friend Jeff Rader, who Serfass said escaped the club fire but died when he went back in to try to rescue his girlfriend.
"I just want to make sure that my friend is recognized," Serfass said.