The fire in the Rhode Island nightclub was simply tragic, on top of which is the added pathos that it was so unnecessary - happening just because a heavy metal band wanted to pretend it was still playing arenas when in fact it was playing in tiny state-highway clubs with drop ceilings. It was like a Spinal Tap scene gone horribly wrong, and I not only feel sickened by the way the concertgoers died, but also aware of how many times I was in similarly precarious situations (like the Le Tigre show at Spontaneous Celebrations in JP, where the floor almost caved…). Awful and sad.
The media coverage on this incident was interesting this morning, with CBS/UPN the only one treating it as a go-to-continuous-live-coverage event, whereas the others broke into the network morning shows only with live updates. Not coincidentally, CBS had the footage first from the affiliate in Providence, WPRI. And then by midday I read on AP that former WHDH (and current WPRI) reporter Jeff Derdarian is one of the club’s owners. I’m not sure why WPRI was taping the concert, by the way. At first I assumed that they paid an amateur for the rights and rebranded the footage as theirs, but an AP report says he was a cameraman for the station.
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