Book Report:John Barylick’s “Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert”
Concert bands have been identified as the most celebrated and recognized live events in the United States. Most young people usually identify with rock bands because of the merry that comes along with it. The aim of the concert and club-goers is to find fun and celebrate their music. On the other hand, club owners and band members try to make the best out of shows by ensuring they sell membership to as many people as possible. The organizers lit up the concerts by all means of strategies such as lighting flames and making fireworks. Some of the means of making people happy may sometimes end in tragedies as was the case at a roadhouse called The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
On February 20, 2003, a tragedy occurred at a live rock concert that led to many years of investigations and legal proceedings. The organizers of the concert were found culpable of causing deaths and injury too many people who had gone to the party at The Station roadhouse. A tragedy that came in the wake of many concerts been organized around Rhode Island state resulted in many policies been formulated to avert such incidences at concerts and clubs. John Barylick was the investigator and prosecutor of the case against many defendants. In his 2012 book titled “Killer Show: The Statuib Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert,” Barylick presents an exploration of the events that led to the fire, the search of evidence, and prosecution of the guilty and obtaining justice for the victims. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Overview
On the night of February 20, 2003, in the few minutes that a hard rock standard music takes to play, the fate of 100 concert fans was awfully determined. The Great White, a 1980s heavy metal band, set ablaze ignition of the pyrotechnics, which are highly flammable. In a span of 10 minutes of the fire, 96 fans were fatally burned, while about 200 others were injured with some suffering catastrophic I juries. The polyurethane egg crate foam that the club had on the inside for sound insulation led to a large flame that made many trapped on the inside.
The causes of the fire, human death, and legal proceedings and investigations were merely caused by petty economic pursuits of the owners of the club. There were no adequate exit doors to the club, which made many people unable to escape from the carnage. The product manufacturers, building inspectors, club owners, promoters of the event, and the band did not do human risk analysis at the event. Two years after the accident, Barylick searched and documented evidence on why the guilty were to face legal proceedings. Acting as an attorney and prosecutor of the case, Barylick used his firm’s and state resources to seek justice for the victims of the event.
Summary of the Book
Young people are usually attracted to live events during the weekends and don’t consider the venue of the events and the dangers they expose themselves. Concert venue owners, promoters, and bands are usually concerned about the profits and are sometimes tempted to make mistakes by cutting corners. The Guest List of the book is based on Barylick’s narrative of the events in the aftermath of the tragedy. The non-fiction work explores the mistakes some of the guilty individuals did that led to the untimely death of 100 souls. The target audient of the Guest List provides evidence and is based on the themes of acceptance, taking responsibility, and forgiveness.
In chapter one of the book, Barylick introduces the setting of the day the event happened and the victims. The party fans were mainly teenagers and young adults who had gone to have fun at The Station nightclub. Additionally, the author narrates the aftermath and how the media announced the accident by snapping images of the club. Investigators were on the ground to find evidence excavate remains. Bodies were removed from the ashes as other victims were being taken to hospital with severe burns. Reports and video footage of how the fire stared were being broadcast throughout the country because a cameraman happened to be on the inside. The start of the fire is shown to be the actions of Great White, which was a 1980s heavy-metal band. The crew set off pyrotechnics that ignited the foam insulation on the inside leading to the fire. Many questions were being asked on how 100 innocent souls were to be lost. State Fire Marshall Owens arrived at a scene where all of The Station was consummated by fire. Family and friends gathered at the scene to know the fate of their children. There was an immediate count of 96 bodies retrieved from the scene after the fire was put off.
John Barylick received a call from a prospective plaintiff of the accident that was now news nationally. He sets out to use his form to do a thorough investigation of the events leading to the death of many young people. Another potential plaintiff called Charles “Chip Babcock” of LIN Television Corporation that was partly owned by Jeffery Derderan. The book reports that about 132 people escaped unharmed, and it was now a close investigation on how and who was responsible for the crimes of either commission or omission that resulted in such huge fire. One of the victims of the tragedy was Julian, who, with others, had complained to the town council seeking to have the licenses of The Station because of noise, parking disturbances, and bass-pounding music. Warner got a reprieve when the appeal to an earlier judgment was allowed by the courts. Collection of evidence from the floor plan of the building that housed the bar, the approval process, and the tickets sold for the party acted together to help the prosecution get the right conviction for the owners, promoters, and others who failed to follow procedures for the fire exit. For example, there was evidence of over-selling tickets to a tune of one hundred more people than the recommended and approved house capacity.
As people entered the building, there was little concern over their safety. The exit routes were not properly marked and most doors remained closed even as the band started playing music at the closed-door club. Another observation by Barylick during his investigation was the use of pyrotechnic materials to insulate against sound. The exits or stage door was guarded by overzealous bouncers even as the building started melting down because of the flames. The fire code is usually one of the considerations during the architecture and overcrowding of the event club as more than 100 more participants were allowed into the building. Overcrowding at the event made confusion as people tried to run away from the building at the door.
The effects of the tragedy on the families and members of the public were traumatizing since people started going slow to concerts. The injured individuals have been effected socially and physically. It took many clinical interventions to ensure that people came back to society well. Even as the skin cured, the process of enhancing skin growth after removal of the scorched skin was a big process. There were many considerations in the formulation of policies governing clubs running after the incidence in the United States. The plight and safety of fans in case of an accident such as the use of fire sprinklers.
After a seven years trial, the jury made recommendations and the judge made a ruling to offer justice to the victims. Barylick and his company had the task of identifying as many victims as possible to ensure the defendant did not escape justice with mere payment of damages. The Great White tour manager, Daniel Biechele pleaded guilty of setting off the pyrotechnic plume that ignited the fire and involuntary manslaughter of 100 people and was sentenced to parole after serving a 4-year sentence. Michael Derderian and Jeffery Derderian who were the owners of The Station pleaded no contest of involuntary manslaughter. Michael Derderian served 27 months of a 4-year sentence while Jeffery Derderian was committed to 500 hours of community service. In his summary judgment, Rhode Island Superior Court Judge affirmed the peas by stating that it would avoid extreme trauma to the loved ones of the deceased and the survivors as well as to the general public. The victims and loved ones noted that although there was a tearful apology by the Derderian brothers, their pleas and conclusive judgment was similar to letting them walk free with something similar to mass murder.
Characters and Characterization
The characterization in the book Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert” by John Barylick’s is based on real characters who participated in the event and the legal cases. Some of the main characters are John Barylick and the owners and performers at the band. PU form manufacturing company management were defendants in the case. Additionally, the Derderans and the landlord for The Station building were put on their defense for the construction of the building without proper fire code. The State Fire Marshall was accused of failing to evaluate the building for fire risks. All other characters such as the plaintiffs and victims help John Barylick provide a narrative based on non-fiction events. Chip Babcock was the defense attorney and was on the opposite side of his friend John Barylick who was the prosecution and plaintiffs’ attorney.
Plot
The plot of the book by John Barylick is based on the events during and after the inferno at a roadhouse called The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Barylick provides information on the behind-the-scenes events that led to the inferno at the concert. The exploration of the events and provision of the narration of the aspects of the different legal findings help the author provide an up to date accounts that target concert fans and organizers of large public events. Barylick relied on the accounts of the victims, the findings on the negligence of the local fire inspectors, provision of information by the Derderian brothers, and the scientific evidence of the flammable soundproofing on the club walls to provide authentic facts. Another aspect of the plot of the book is how the narration is made with a significant focus on the real events and conversations at the courts and between victims and the narrator. The flow of the story is seamless and provides the audience with real facts by an individual who was at the center of the investigation and prosecution of the defendant.
Evaluation
The 2003 inferno at The Station roadhouse has led to new tough code provisions for crowd management in nightclubs. There are many requirements for the type of plans fit for buildings that house a large number of people. The book “Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert” by John Barylick provides essential information based on chronicles of the folly and greed in the entertainment industry. Basing his argument on research and evidence from the ashes of The Station, Barylick stimulates the emotions of the audience by noting every detail that informed his decision to prosecute several defendants. The negligence in the building and the supervision of the building by the local fire supervisors led to a great loss to society. The book teaches people a lesson on the different costs that come with negligence and failure to follow a specific code of ethics. In these contexts, Barylick is interested in the provision of real accounts of the events with an aim of affirming that the lives of people were taken because of negligence and incompetence in building reputable spaces and pursuit of economic goals.
“Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Concert” is the first wide exploration of the events that led to the death of many people and the injury of others. The book allows analysts to understand the source of problems and how the evidence presented. The narrative is a form of a forensic thriller that is able to provide critical details of how people can lead to accidents because of negligence. Individuals who read the book understand the necessity of having security means and enabling people to make informed on areas to avoid. The book is one of the most interesting writings that help in making informed decisions on crowd management.
Conclusion
The Station victims found true justice when they won a case against the owners and the organizers of the event. From the analysis of the book, it is clear that lives could have been saved if the different stakeholders had acted to avert the problem in a timely manner. Officials at the state’s local fire evaluation office failed to do a thorough job on the assessment of the building, the interior sound insulation foam manufacturers had not offered enough guidance to the building teams on how to avert such risks. In addition, the owners and organizers of the hard rock concert were more concerned with economic profits rather than ensuring that risk aversion strategies were put in place. John Barylick is able to provide a full chronicle of the chain of events that led to the fire and the aftermath because of his participation in the case against those culpable. The book is insightful and enhances the ability of many policymakers to put measures in place to avert such future risks.
References
Barylick, J. (2012). Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America’s Deadliest Rock Concert. University Press of New England: Lebanon.