Thanks AG, Bill & Paul... I'm sending this conversation on to my younger
daughter,
who is to degree, still into the 'scene.'
Rick
On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 1:25 PM, Paul Braun <pbraun42@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 10:58 AM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >
> > I've done quite a few acoustical control projects through the years
> > and know that the vast majority of nightclub venues are anything but
> > safe. This is a GLOBAL problem. I can go into rant mode on this, but
> > just consider this:
> >
> > Case in point - the club where Great White was playing several years ago
> when their pyro set the ceiling on fire. Improper materials, pyro being
> set off where it had no business being, inadequate exits... Pretty much
> all the details are here:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire
>
>
>
> > More nightclubs than not are owned and/or operated by people who have
> > no problem with operating outside the law. Fire code violations are
> > mostly addressed not by fixing the problem but by "fixing" the
> > problem. Instead of spending $30,000 for proper fire-resistant
> > acoustical treatment, they spend $5,000 and pay off the inspector
> > $5,000 to make it go away.
> >
> > Exactly. A slightly different case was the E2 club in Chicago - wasn't
> fire, but a mess of building and fire-code violations that ended up in
> death: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_E2_nightclub_stampede
>
>
> >
> > The heavy curtains used for venues and stages is chemically treated.
> > The old wool curtains were naturally fire-retardant, but modern
> > synthetics aren't. These are chemically treated. Again, just like the
> > sugar cube, it only takes an accumulation of matter in the fabric to
> > defeat it.
> >
> > And it's not just little clubs. My wife and I were at a performance of
> an
> Asian acrobat troupe at a local 3000-seater. One of their set pieces was
> up high enough that it touched a lighting instrument and caught fire.
> That's shouldn't have been that big of a deal, since it was a pretty small
> piece. But then it caught the act curtain on fire. At first, we thought,
> "Huh. Smoke effects!" and then we saw the flames. Within minutes, the
> entire curtain on house right as well as the teaser across the top were on
> fire. The fire suppression sprinklers did go off and extinguish the fire,
> and fortunately the room was large with multiple exits at the back. But I
> have to wonder - were they simply behind on their curtain inspections? Did
> they skip a retardant treatment? Or was it, as Ken mentioned, simply that
> the curtains had been hanging there for 20 years and were full of flammable
> gunk?
>
>
> >
> > I'm sure Paul will pipe in here with further comment as he also works
> > the music/entertainment industry, but generally speaking, there is a
> > difference in ways facilities are acoustically treated and how
> > management looks upon safety precautions. In a show like RED's, in a
> > facility like this, there is a maximum amount of duty cycle for the
> > flames. I shot a lot of pictures to get just one or two that had all
> > the units lit up at once. It's the roman candle style fireworks which
> > are generally the most dangerous.
> >
> >
> Great White used spark fountains, set to fire to 15'. In a small rock
> club, that's just not smart. I've seen shows with big pyro, such as "Ka"
> by Cirque de Soleil in Vegas and Roger Waters' recent tour of "The Wall".
> Done properly, done smartly, under control. Although I did catch the
> beginning of a possible disaster during the Pittsburgh performance of "The
> Wall" - the major wall of pyro during the opening caught one of the large,
> white cardboard "bricks" on fire at one end of the wall. The techs were
> right on top of it and had it pulled back and extinguished almost
> immediately before it could ignite any surrounding bricks.
>
>
>
> > In my experience, I've been in places that I instantly knew were
> > fire-traps. I either have immediately turned around and walked out or
> > requested a seat in a place with a quick and easy exit. In more than
> > one occasion, that place was later destroyed by fire. Some places you
> > just "know" aren't right. It's also a pretty safe bet that if the
> > ceiling doesn't look safe, chances are the ice machine isn't safe.
> >
> >
> At this point, I tend to avoid old, cramped, dive-y rock clubs all
> together.
>
>
> --
>
> Paul Braun
> Music Junkie
>
> "Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." -- Harlan Howard
> --
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