Members of the band Great White will play together tomorrow for the first time since their Feb. 20 show began with a burst of pyrotechnics, sparking a blaze that killed 99 people at The Station nightclub in West Warwick.
Organizers said lead singer Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall are expected to play one to three acoustical songs as part of a benefit concert, helping to raise money for a memorial fund named for bandmate Ty Longley, who died in the fire.
Most of the money raised will go into a trust fund for Longley's unborn child, according to Joe Sutton, a Los Angeles rock promoter helping to organize the event. Longley's girlfriend, Heidi Peralta, is due to give birth Aug. 3.
Some of the money will go into a scholarship fund, providing up to $1,000 per year for arts students in and around Sharon, Pa., the town in which Longley grew up. His parents will determine how to allocate the money between the trust fund and the scholarship fund, according to Sutton's Web site.
J. Patrick Longley, Ty's father, said that, depending upon how much money is raised, he would like to see some financial assistance provided to other victims of the fire.
Longley's mother, Mary Pat Fredericksen, said Russell and Kendall plan to sing a song titled "Mother's Eyes."
The concert schedule, which includes several of Longley's former bands, is as follows: 8:15 p.m. Christi Baeuerle; 8:50 p.m. Alex Gregory; 9:15 p.m. Gravy; 9:50 p.m. 5 Cent Shine; 10:25 p.m. XYZ; 11 p.m. Samantha 7; 11:35 p.m. Great White's Russell and Kendall. At midnight, the Rhythm Junkies are scheduled to perform in a "jam set" that will include members of Great White, Quiet Riot and other bands, Sutton said.
The concert will take place at the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Tickets are $20, and the club can hold up to 500 people.
Ali Ohta, who handles publicity for the Key Club, was asked whether the event would include any pyrotechnic displays. "Oh, no, no, no," she said. "We don't allow that here. We have never allowed that here."
