RHODE ISLAND TRAGEDY RAISES VENUE SAFETY ISSUES

Since going to overcrowded, unventilated rock clubs is part of our job description, last week’s Great White tragedy in Warwick, R.I., struck close to home for most of us. I know I went through the mental Rolodex of literally thousands of gigs I’ve attended where a carelessly thrown match or a shorted fuse could’ve conceivably started a similar inferno.

A friend of mine who works at the Viper Room said the fire marshals were in every club on the Sunset Strip on Saturday night. The same evening, the promoter for the Interpol show in Tucson moved the stage outside to the parking lot, since he'd already sold 400 tickets for a club where the "legal" capacity is 197. This action enabled another 300 kids to see the show, thanks to KFMA’s on-air announcements, but it isn’t exactly a viable long-term solution.

I was surprised there was no mention of the tragedy at the Grammys, and many of my friends agreed that using flash pots during Avril’s song and pyrotechnics for Nelly’s performance was a bit insensitive. Yeah, it’s hot in here, ergo fire—I get it… —Karen Glauber