Jaxx in Springfield was the next stop for heavy metal band Great White, before a tragic stage-show-gone-wrong on Thursday, Feb. 20, in West Warwick, R.I., left scores dead.
According to the Associated Press news wire report, 97 died and others were injured as concert-goers frantically rushed out to escape the blaze triggered by stage pyrotechnics. In the days following the tragedy, police and fire officials investigated whether club officials had permission to use pyrotechnics in the concert venue.
Jay Nedry, owner of Jaxx, was familiar with Great White, and said this show would have been the group's 16th performance at Jaxx.
"They always sell out," he said.
Woodbridge resident Karla Aguilera saw Great White at Jaxx before.
"I've seen them here. 'Once Bitten Twice Shy' is a real big hit from the '80s," she said.
Aguilera didn't remember whether Great White used pyrotechnics at Jaxx but said "another band, Reign, had pyrotechnics."
Nedry does not allow pyrotechnics at Jaxx. He said Reign played there once before when Nedry was not there, and pyrotechnics were not used as far as he knew.
According to Capt. Kerwin McNamara, captain of inspections for the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, Jaxx has a good record with fire regulation compliance. The club has four exits, a sprinkler system and fire suppression system.
"At this location, not that we're aware of. I don't remember any pyrotechnics at Jaxx," McNamara said.
When a pyrotechnics permit is obtained, it is issued on a one-event-only circumstance. Fire inspectors come out the day of the show and to witness a demonstration of the pyrotechnics before a permit is issued.
"Some of the bigger hotels have [pyrotechnics] for the bigger events. When they're done correctly by a reputable company, it's a safe event," McNamara said.
Nedry has a fog machine when bands need an effect, which is the purpose of pyrotechnics. "Some of them do it for effect, it's more of a nuisance," he said.
Nedry's daughter, Kristina Armendaris, 18, is familiar with the rock ‘n’ roll scene at Jaxx but has only seen pyrotechnics used when Nsync and the Backstreet Boys played at RFK stadium. She is currently a George Mason University student.
"There's a lot of good bands that play here," she said.
Great White was part of the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of the late 1980s. The band sold 6 million albums and earned a Grammy nomination in 1990. The band has been to Jaxx so many times, its name is painted in day-glo orange above the door. Nedry said this would have been the band's 16th show at Jaxx. The concert on Feb. 21 was not entirely canceled, though. Orion, Black Widow, Mod O and Trip, which were on the schedule with Great White, performed that evening.