Great White Sees Sales Bump In Northeast

02/27/2003 10:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Bruce Simon

(2/27/03, 10 a.m. ET) -- Great White albums have been selling at a better-than-normal pace since the band's deadly club fire in Rhode Island last week. The Boston Herald reports that sales on Great White CDs have doubled, from about 20 a month before the blaze to about 40 now at the 25 stores that make up the Newbury Comics chain in the Northeast.

Mike Dreese, Newbury's CEO, said, "Clearly, that's as a result of the publicity. Clearly, there is some morbid curiosity out there." He added that he didn't expect the sales bump to last: "It really is a tired, old band."

The Newbury Comics store in Warwick, Rhode Island--not far from the scene of the fire--has also seen an increase in Great White sales, but manager Mike Zwolinski said the band shouldn't plan on being welcomed back to the area anytime soon. "I can't say that they're the most popular people around here. They're not high on our list," Zwolinski said. "We've lost some regular customers." He added, "We know the people that were most likely at the show by their musical tastes and the way they dress. Every time they walk through the door, we're, like, 'Oh, thank God.'"

The fire at the Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, was seemingly caused by Great White's pyro equipment. Ninety-seven people died in the blaze, including guitarist Ty Longley, with almost 200 others injured. The group claims it had permission for the equipment, which the club's management denies. A grand jury has been seated to investigate, and members of the band have been subpoenaed to testify.

-- Bruce Simon, New York

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