Twisted Sisters Dee Snider Honors Victims of 2003 Station Nightclub Fire With New Song,

 Posted on September 26, 2024  |  5 minutes  |  945 words  |  Larita Shotwell

The Reelz documentary, "America’s Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List," chronicles the Great White show in Warwick, Rhode Island, which resulted in 100 dead and 200 injured.

Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who is featured in a REELZ documentary about the Warwick, Rhode Island Station nightclub fire, which killed some 100 attendees of a Great White concert in 2003, has released a new song to honor the victims called “Stand.”

The song, one of 12 from Snider’s new album, “Leave a Scar,” is featured in “America’s Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List,” which chronicles the events leading up to and after the tragedy through deeply personal stories of fans who were there.

The Feb. 20, 2003 fire was caused by illegal soundproofing materials and pyrotechnics — 100 people died and more than 200 were injured. Some of those fans had met Great White lead singer Jack Russell earlier that day at a local establishment, and he generously offered to put them on his personal guest list to see the show.

Related Stories

Photo collage of Lionsgate franchises The Hunger Games, Expendables, and Saw. VIP+

What Lionsgate’s Partnership Deal With Runway Means

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - MARCH 31: Kendrick Lamar performs during the third day of Lollapalooza Buenos Aires 2019 at Hipodromo de San Isidro on March 31, 2019 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo by Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images)

Will Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' Become the First Diss Track to Win Big at the Grammys?

The film features interviews with a tearful Russell, family members, survivors, attorney John Barylick, who represented the victims and authored the book “KILLER SHOW, The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert,”  musicians Don Dokken, Lita Ford and others who take the viewer through the events of that fateful night. It also follows the personal journeys of those who survived, and the 2008 Phoenix Rising benefit featuring country stars John Rich of Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Aaron Lewis of Staind, Boston guitarist/founder Tom Scholz, drummer Carmine Appice, and others.

Popular on Variety

In the doc, Snider shares his frustration of begging musicians to participate in a benefit show spearheaded after an initial call from Tesla drummer Troy Luccketta inspired the musician to “do something.” The newly released video, which Snider released with “The Guest List” director/producer David Bellino, features footage from the documentary.

“Nobody deserves to die because they wanted to see a band,” Snider says in the film. “They died because they wanted to see their heroes.”

He further elaborated in a statement: “Nobody should be scarred for life, be crippled or have their children orphaned because of their love for rock ‘n’ roll. This documentary not only serves as a reminder of this incredible tragedy, but it shines a light on an amazing group of people who overcame unfathomable loss, and survived, even thrived in the aftermath.”

While “Stand” wasn’t written specifically for “The Guest List,” Snider says it’s “a perfect fit,” and takes aim at members of the rock community who, he claims in the doc, did not offer assistance because “nobody wanted to be associated with hair metal bands.”

“If it was U2, the Pope would have shown up,” he groused in the film. “The full tragedy of that horrific night was the despicable lack of support shown for a community in desperate need. ‘Stand’ speaks to the importance for us all to recognize these moments of desperation and do something about them. ‘Don’t leave your mark … leave a scar!'”

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2BjqasrKGTZLumw9Joq7Cho6mypXnSoqqtnaJisaaxjKylopyVp3q0wMCtoKimXaO2qLTTnKOuml2cv6at02auoaGkmnqntdGeZKynnpx6tMDAp5tmaWJognKFkGlscGc%3D