Great White’s Charitable Priorities May Be A Bit Mixed Up

noah | January 10, 2007 3:40 am
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It’s been almost four years since the Great White show in Warwick, R.I. that ended in a fire, killing 100 people. The band has announced plans to head out on the road again, which is angering people who had family members killed or injured by the 2003 blaze:

The ’80s nostalgia act is finishing a new album and embarking on a tour with its original lineup to mark its 25th anniversary. The reunited band’s first show is a Janurary 27th benefit at Hollywood’s Key Club to raise money for Harpseals.org, a nonprofit dedicated to ending Canadian seal hunting, according to the group’s website.

The new tour comes as the Station Family Fund has run dry after handing out $800,000 to victims’ families for housing costs, medical bills and other expenses. Fund president Victoria Potvin, who escaped the blaze, said the account is empty and the fund is “defunct,” leaving some victims helpless.

“There are people who are going to need assistance for the rest of their lives,” Potvin said.

The seal benefit is the only date currently scheduled on Great White’s tour, although more dates are allegedly on the way. We can’t help but think that this ham-handed attempt at philanthropy seems extremely misguided, if not out-and-out tasteless. Sure, the harp seals that Great White’s show is trying to save are really cute, but it’s hard not to think that the people whose suffering is directly related to Great White’s past actions deserve a benefit of their own–especially now that their coffers have run dry.

Great White Raise Funds…But Not For Fire Victims [KNAC, via No Rock And Roll Fun]

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