We just passed the 14th anniversary of the tragic nightclub fire at the Station in West Warwick, R.I. that claimed the lives of 100 people who had turned out to see Jack Russell's Great White perform. That night a pyrotechnic mishap led to a quick spreading blaze that yielded chaos as concertgoers, band and crew tried to flee the club, but 14 years later the site will provide a bit of peace for those affected by the tragedy.

The Station Fire Memorial Foundation has announced that they will officially dedicate a new memorial site honoring those lost on that fateful night. According to local station WPRI, the memorial will feature a courtyard, gardens, a walkway and a stone with each victim's name shaped like speaker boxes. The dedication ceremony will take place May 21 at the site of the fire in West Warwick.

In 2015, Jack Russell shot a documentary that not only focused on his life but allowed him to address The Station nightclub fire. "It was like [the] 9/11 of rock and roll," said the singer during a radio interview. "How do I feel about it? I'm just horrified. I feel the guilt. I have the survivor's guilt. Why did I get to live when so many other people didn't? I feel guilty for people coming to see me play and losing their lives. It's really hard to deal with it. It's not like I had anything personally to do with the whole accident, you know. There were a lot of really weird things that had to come into play for that to happen."

The rocker went on to add, "I'll never be over it and I don't think I ever should. I think I owe it to my fans that lost their lives to never forget them."

In 2013, Russell and his former band Great White reached a settlement in which the vocalist turned over his rights to the band name and trademark to the band, while he was allowed to continue using the name JACK RUSSELL’S Great White when performing. This was the same moniker that Russell was using back in 2003 at the time of the incident as the band was on hiatus while he was promoting his solo album For You.

 

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